Son of Neptune Rewrite
by PLKBerry
Summary: After six months, Jason, Piper, Leo, and Annabeth have arrived at the Roman Camp to find an army. How can they find peace? And why are Annabeth and Jason so hesitant to find what they had lost? An orginal spin on an unoriginal idea.
1. A Thousand Miles Vanessa Carlton

**A/N: This is my first fanfiction, so any reviews would be greatly appriecated. I accept all constructive critism as long as it is just that- _constructive. _Sugestions would also be welcome. Sorry if the characters are OCC. I tried to capture the characters as well as I could. I particularly made sure Leo would be annoying. Please, Please, _Please_, submit feedback. Now, without furthur ado, enjoy.**

Annabeth stood at the prow of the grand ship, lost in thought and unseeing stared at the blue, majestic crashing waters. Cautiously, Leo crept forward, fearful to interrupt her train of thought. He would never admit it, but Annabeth kind of scared him. She was strong, smart, and really powerful. He knew that if it came to it, she could easily beat him in… well, almost anything.

Still, he needed her help. She was the only one of all of them who had ever sailed before. Even if Leo _had_ built the ship (with his cabin, of course), he didn't completely grasp how to run it; he could operate in the engine room perfectly fine, but when it came to the abundance of ropes and pulleys… he was desperately lost.

As Leo observed Annabeth's steady gaze wash over the waves, he could tell she wasn't thinking about the quest. She was probably thinking about the other times she sailed, with her boyfriend, Percy Jackson. He could also tell that she wasn't normally like this, so constantly depressed. The last six months, just a dream she was waiting to wake from. Well, more like a nightmare. Assuming the other campers' accounts of her were true, she was a completely different person when her boyfriend, Percy, was around.

Quietly, Leo neared Annabeth and spoke, disrupting the serene vision. "Hey, um… Annabeth?"

"Hmm?" her voice was thick, as if her throat was very, very tight.

"Do you think you could help me dock the boat on that island, there?" he pointed to a distant shore. "So that we can regroup and sort of rest a little bit?"

"Why that island?"

Leo frowned, "What do you mean?"

She shrugged, "I was just wondering if you had a reason for choosing that specific island."

"Well, it's the only island around for several miles."

She shook her head, and pointed to a much closer shore. "There's one right there."

Leo squinted, and found she was right, again. _Gods,_ Leo thought, _even all depressed she's smarter than me._ He couldn't understand how he had missed it, it right it front it front of them!

Feeling stupid, but still trying to cling to his breezy image, Leo continued. "So, will you help me?"

She nodded, "Sure." Her voice broke, and she tried again. "I mean, absolutely." This time her voice was much stronger. Leo was starting to see glimpses of the person she used to be, but that scared him even more. At least she was on his side.

Annabeth led him to the wheel and studied it. "Well," she began, "Percy would always…" she trailed off deep in thought, and gently laid one hand on the firm wood as Leo flinched. _Gods,_ he thought, _Piper is going to kill me._ Piper and Annabeth had grown pretty close these past six months, and even more so on this quest. Piper was helping Annabeth deal with Percy's disappearance (along with Rachel, and all of Annabeth's other friends), and Annabeth was helping Piper train so as to meld perfectly into the demigod society. Leo also had a sneaking suspicion that Annabeth was helping Piper with Jason.

That thought depressed him. Leo had always felt like a third wheel around Piper and Jason, and more so every day. Even if they weren't officially a couple, the two of them were clearly more than friends. _Man, Jason is lucky, _Leo thought, _all the girls go for him._ Not that Leo like Piper, it wasn't like that. But Jason had girls practically falling over him, much to Piper's dismay. And, though Jason had never said it, Leo perceived that there was a girl at the Roman camp, too, possibly girl**s**. Yet, Leo couldn't even get Thalia. He'd tried talking to Jason about Thalia, but clearly Jason wasn't comfortable with Leo hitting on his sister. And there wasn't really anyone at camp who knew Thalia all that well, except Annabeth, so Leo never asked. He could ask Annabeth, but something told him it would be better not too. _Maybe I could ask that Percy guy, once we've found him_, Leo thought, _it sounds like he knew her pretty well, too._

Leo observed intently as Annabeth expertly guided the ship over the rocky outcropping and brought the hull to a gentle halt in the ceramic bay along the sandy shore with barely a hitch. Well, there was a slight _bump_ on the way in, but it was still the best landing Leo had ever seen.

"Percy could have done so much better." Annabeth muttered, but before Leo could contradict her, Piper's voice cut through the tranquil afternoon quiet like a knife.

"Hey, guys. Why'd we stop?" she asked, coming up from below decks.

"We're just going ashore to regroup and get our barings," answered Leo.

"Why don't you find Jason and tell him we're stopping for a few minutes?" Annabeth put in, smiling playfully. Yet, the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Leo had to physically stop himself from rolling his own eyes. _Real subtle, Annabeth, _he thought sarcastically.

Piper blushed, but replied "Okay!" brightly, "I don't suppose you know where he is?"

Piper would kill him, he was sure of it, but he couldn't resist. Pretending to be exasperated, he said, "C'mon, Piper, can't you trust him? There aren't even any other girls on the ship, besides Annabeth here." As Leo expected, he was thanked heartily for his ingenious comedy by being punched by Piper. Hard. "Ouch." Leo muttered under his breath, rubbing his arm, and the girls both rolled their eyes.

"He's up there," Annabeth said, pointing to the top of the masthead where Jason was perched on the edge of the crow's nest, controlling the winds for better sailing. Jason caught sight of the trio and flew down.

Piper caught her breath. She didn't think she could ever grow accustomed to the grace Jason exhibited when he took to the skies. As he neared them, his eyes grew wide.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THEY WERE HERE?" Jason screeched in surprise.

Annabeth stumbled back as Jason landed with a gentle thud. "We're here?" She asked in a mix of amazement, wonder, curiosity, and… fear?

"Yeah," Jason confirmed morosely, "We're here."

Annabeth, Piper, & Leo looked closely at the island, and found the mist parted easily under the demigods' gaze to show an army awaiting them.

**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Confused? Send me a review! (But only if you want to, I'm not gonna hunt you down if you don't.) Peace, Love, & Life. **


	2. A Year Without Rain Selena Gomez

**First of all, I want to thank everyone who read my 1st chapter and is now reading my second. Thanks to everyone who favorited, alerted, and reviewed. I feel so honored that you took the time to do so. Now, without furthur ado, enjoy.**

"Cool." Leo said, "I'll set up the gangplank and we can go." Leo continued, glancing nervously at Annabeth. She nodded her head mutely, staring unseeingly at the floorboards.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked, afraid she would snap back to her senses, but jump off the side of the boat to get to Percy faster, "I figured you would be charging in there, busting some heads."

She didn't respond, but shifted her gaze to the gentle, mumbling waves as they nudged the shore. The truth was… she was afraid. _There,_ she thought bitterly, _I admit it freely, at least to myself. _She wasn't afraid of Percy surviving, not when he was invulnerable. He was a good fighter, and could probably handle whatever the roman camp could dream up. She wasn't even afraid of him meeting another girl. If she could handle Rachel, who had posed a much bigger threat her, she could handle some girl he knew for six months. She was afraid that Percy might be… different; that the Roman camp had changed him. That not only would he not remember her, but he wouldn't be as she remembered. These haunting thoughts terrified her, but she could not this. She'd learned from Jason that you could never show weakness, because it could lead to your demise. Annabeth hoped Percy hadn't gotten in any trouble with his reckless ways and impulsive ways. "Oh, Seaweed Brain…" she muttered.

Flustered, Leo turned to Piper for some advice, but she just stood there, glaring at the floor. _Well, at least Piper's reaction made sense, _Leo thought, _she's worried Jason's got another girlfriend down there. _

Then, Leo turned to Jason for some sanity, but found him gravely staring out at the heavily armed crowd. Secretly, Leo let out a small sigh of relief. He was afraid Jason might dump him when he returned to all his old friends. But Leo was also confused. Wouldn't Jason want to reclaim all that he had lost?

Leo was quite correct, for Jason did, but he hadn't. Sure, he'd gotten his memory back, but it was coming slowly. What if he saw someone and couldn't remember them? What if Lupa saw his memory as a weakness and got rid of him? He stood as still as his sister's sacred crest of legendary half-blood hill.

So, Annabeth was muttering nonsense, Piper was locked in a staring contest with the floor, and Jason was, like frozen. Leo had never thought he'd say this before, but… "I'm the only sane one here," he breathed. Weird, normally it was the exact opposite.

"Right," Piper said, taking a deep breath and looking up, "We should probably go."

Jason nodded, "Yeah."

Annabeth sighed and went to help Leo with the gangplank.

_Down in the Army_

Reyna stood amid the crowd, her hand locked on her sword, and watched as a boy with a mop of curly brown hair and an athletic looking girl with blonde curls cascading down to just past her shoulders whipped into a ponytail stepped out on a lowered gangblank. Two other figures stepped out. A brunette with choppy hair going down in thin braids and… The army took a small intake of breath a one. Jason.

The curly headed boy and the brunette exchanged worried glances, while Jason stared out at us with a hardened expression. Reyna felt her heart leap as she watched the solemn figure. It had to be Jason, she was sure of it. After six months, he was back! The blonde turned her head, and Reyna could see her face. Even at this distance, she seemed to be searching for something.

As she turned to face us, Reyna felt Percy stiffen beside her. He muttered something that sounded like "Alphabet," and promptly collapsed at her side.

"Percy!"

**Woah, cliffhanger. Sorry, but I'll try to get my next chapter up soon. I know it's short, but if you could just bare with me... Also, Percy had said Annabeth, but Reyna didn't hear and thought he said Alphabet. He didn't actually say alphabet. Anyhow, thanks again for reading. I really appreicate it. I'd also appreicate any reviews, if you don't mind.**

**Peace, Love, & Life. PLKBerry**


	3. Enchanted Taylor Swift

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Percy Jackson. Though the plan to steal them was going perfectly until the lemurs escaped...**

Percy was somewhere he recognized, though he didn't remember ever being there. Like, being somewhere you dreamed about. He was on a balcony, looking at himself and a girl with tangled curly blonde hair in a rushed ponytail that curled around her shoulder, which was bloody and slightly green, as if it had been infected or… Percy's self cringed as the truth of it hit him. Poisoned.

Literally, the truth hit it and knocked him over. He could see things, he know he shouldn't be able too. Things that should've sensed his presence, but hadn't. He saw Aphrodite- no! _Venus. _He saw Venus watching the scene unfold happily, smiling at dabbing at her eyes. She looked over at him, at smiled sweetly.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

It took him a moment to respond. "Who… What is this?"

The goddess looked disappointed, and clucked her tongue. "Have you not realized what this is?"

Percy looked down at himself. He seemed… different. Worried, certainly, over the fate of the girl, but that wasn't it. He looked… less burdened? More burdened? He couldn't tell. Then it hit him. (Again, literally) He was younger. This was his past. His recent past, but his past nonetheless. He had received vague images of his past before, but none so clear or precise. Snippets of words, faces, or memories. He remembered a flash of bright blonde hair flying past him, a hint of amusement flurrying across eyes the color of storm clouds about to break into a storm, the clashing of the bronze blade of a dagger against is familiar sword, and the feeling of embarrassment when a smirking face materialized in front of him. But he had no solid memories of this girl.

"That's me, my past. But what…who…" Percy trailed off, not sure what question to ask first.

"Ooh!" Aphr- Venus squealed, "You are too cute! Oh, just watch!"

So he did, but he didn't really comprehend. She… took a knife for me? But why?

"You would've done the same for me."

Would he_? I guess I knew the answer to that. _Percy thought, _Yeah, I would. _He didn't really remember her, but… he just knew, okay? He can't really explain it. He just _knew_. He continued to watch the scene unfold with Venus.

He was invulnerable? That made sense. Percy knew he should have figured it out prior to this, because it was pretty obvious. Suddenly he heard a voice in his ear, "_Seaweed Brain_" it murmured, before it disappeared.

_That was weird,_ he thought. But whatever. Why had he told this girl is greatest and most secret weakness? Okay, it was useful, since now he knew. But… wasn't weakness a bad thing? You shouldn't show it, right? Sure, it was clear they trusted and cared for each other. _Oh gods…_ He could've blushed, he would. Venus must've noticed his sudden discomfort, because she smiled knowingly at him.

_We could just be good friends, _Percy assured himself, _I mean, it doesn't necessarily mean-_

"You're cute when you're worried." The girl ran her fingers gently over his disgruntled eyebrows, and they relaxed slightly.

Now, being trapped inside his own head, he shouldn't be able to blush, but he did anyway as Venus began squealing like… her cabin… Duh.

_Well, _Percy speculated, _that confirms it. _It was now a no-brainer that he and this girl were more than friends. He watched himself as he watched the sunset with the girl, holding her hand. Only he could say that sentence and have it make sense. Only him…

As he watched himself leave, Percy's eyes drifted back to the girl, who was sitting there content. Now that the younger Percy had left, the girl let more of her pain show. Her shoulder was obviously hurting her more than she let on.

Maybe he'd imagined it, but Percy suddenly felt pain. Burning, intense pain deep in the dead center of his chest. A flash and it was gone.

"So…." Venus floated nearer, "What do you think?" She looked as if she just might explode if she didn't start gushing right away.

"Is she okay?" Percy blurted. Man, that was stupid. But, to him, it was the most urgent question. He didn't know why, but it was.

"Aww…." The goddess cooed, "That is soooooooooo cute!"

"But is she okay?" Percy was embarrassed to hear the worry coloring his voice.

"Emotionally or physically?"

He looked at the girl, and knew what was more urgent. "Physically."

"Perfect, healthy as a horse. Well, a horse that's healthy, anyhow…" she trailed off, and something in her tone prompted Percy's next question.

"And emotionally?"

Venus looked him right in the eye, forcing his gaze away from the girl and to meet her kaleidoscope-like eyes.

"Broken," she said carefully, "Mending, but far from fixed."

Percy glanced down at the girl, as another with a silver circlet atop her head and punk clothes entered, once more downplayed the seriousness of the injury. She was so strong. What force could possibly break her spirit so?

"How? What… What broke her?"

"I think you know."

And he did. Just watching that last moment, stolen from his memories, what could break her. As he watched the two girls interact, he could quite literally see the difference. It was difficult to explain, but there was a certain light, a certain magic that existed between him and the girl that did not exist anymore. There was one thing that could break her.

He could.

"But… What did I do?" Percy asked uncertainly, "Did I hurt her?"

Venus smiled kindly, "No, young hero. I don't think you could. Your separation was due to forces outside of any mortal's control. You see," Suddenly the scene before him disappeared and he was looking at himself asleep, surrounded by maybe half a dozen people, including the girl, and the goddess continued, "you simply vanished. She was quite worried."

"But… I'm here now, right? So, I just wake up and she'll see I'm fine, right? Problem solved?" Percy was full of questions lately! Could he be certain of anything? No, of course not, because that would be too easy. He had to be utterly clueless.

The grand lady giggled in girlish glee, "Oh! You are so cute I could die! So naïve… I'm afraid I couldn't make it _that_ easy. That would take out _all_ the fun! No, no, no! You had to work for it the first time, you'll have to work harder the second time."

Percy stifled a groan. Of course…

"Not to mention…" she pursued her lips. "But that won't be a problem much longer if I have anything to say about it."

"What?" Okay, he was begging now. It was pathetic, but he didn't have any other options if he wanted his questions answered!

"Well, she is quite concerned about the state of your memory. And she has reason to be. You have no memories of her, except this one."

That made sense. He hoped he would remember her soon. She seemed almost like a mystery, or a puzzle. She fascinated him.

"Well, I should take my leave. Olympus _is_ supposed to be closed, you know."

"Just one more question."

"Yes?"

"What's her name?"

0~O~0

Percy awoke with a start, with a pair of misty gray eyes looming over him, and catching his sea-green ones.

"Annabeth?"

**A/N: Okay, so thanks to everyone who reviewed! So far, that has been:**

**NLA: **You were my first ever review! I wish you weren't anoymous so I could return the favor!

**trangaha: **Thank you. I tried to have a few diffrent perspectives, which was difficult because I write best in first person.

**PJO Fan 1: **Thank you for the well-rounded review! I don't mind you being a 'Grammar Nazi', but if next time you could be a bit more specific as to what you found spelled incorrectly. Try as I might, I cannot seem to find them! So, if you could point those out to me I would really appreciate it.

**AnimalBuddy32: **Your review made my day! I looked you up, and really enjoyed your stories as well. I'm glad you liked the 'alphabet' thing so much!

**booklover484: **Thank you! I'm so happy you enjoyed my story. I hope I can keep your intrest as the plotline thickens and the story progresses. Talk to me if you have any suggestions!

**me: **First off, I love the 'me' because it's such a creative idea, by doing the basics! Second, I'm honored you were so affectected by the cliffhangers! I was honestly afraid no one would care. Third, thank you for your suggestion! I think I will do that. Maybe not the 'true love' right away, because I prefer the slower relationships, but I will certainly have a girl for him. I already have one in mind!

**Eleos: **I hope you enjoyed that! I wasn't sure I got the character quite right, but I suppose I must have done something at least okay! I checked out your stories, and think your a wonderful writer. Percabeth Prevails!

**myth freak: **I'd glad you 'love this story!' Thank you so much. I'm afraid I'm rather fond of cliffhangers. Writing them, not reading them. But sometimes they can be good. It inspires you. Thanks to the cliffhanger at the end of the lost hero, this story was born. Try to use the annoying lingering questions to create something of your own. It doesn't have to a story. It could be a piece of visual art, a song, a poem, or just fuel your adrenline for your next soccer game! Make the cliffhanger work for you. Good Luck!

**cheyennelowe: **Thank you for the please, it was refreshing after reviews like, "Update!" And, wow. Your favorite story? I hope I don't dissapoint as I continue! Let me know when you post something, because I'd love to read it!

**jackp123: **Thank you! It really lifts my spirits to hear something like that. I wasn't sure what kind of reviews I'd get and so far I've been quite pleased.

**I haven't gotten any flames yet, so I hope that continues! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. And to everyone who favorited and alerted? THANKS A TON! I seriously feel honored that so many of you had taken your time to do that, and that so many of you enjoyed my story! I'll try to write as quickly as I can. Oh... And um... If anyone in the midwest of the United States of America has seen any loose lemurs... Just contact me, okay? Stay calm. There trained to steal creative rights, not to harm you. **

**Peace, Love, & Life**

**PLKBerry**


	4. Telephone Lady Gaga & Beyonce

**I do not own Percy Jackson or Hero of Olympus. I do, however, own Valerie- so back off! **

Annabeth jumped back in surprise, "You remember me?" Silver specks flitted across her stormy gray eyes.

"Not really," Percy replied, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, "but kind of." He looked around, and saw Bobby and Hazel, twins of Apollo sitting by him. Towards the edge of the room, a brunette with multicolored eyes and a boy with a mischievous glint in his own eye glanced nervously at a tall blond guy.

Then Percy realized he recognized the blond guy from pictures he'd seen around the camp.

"Jason?" Percy bowed his head, "the praetor?"

Jason looked uncomfortable, "Yes… but seriously, you don't have to make such a big deal out of it. Really."

"Jason…" Hazel chided, "You worked hard to reach that status, you should be proud! No one here can beat you."

"It's true," her twin brother, Bobby, put in, "He's dueled with everyone, and he's never been defeated."

"Untrue." Jason corrected them, "I was sparring with someone once, and they beat me. And I bet Percy could blow me out of the water."

The twins shared a look of confusion, the sun reflecting off of their light brown eyes and hitting their dark honey colored hair. "Who?"

Jason's eye slid towards Percy, but was interrupted by cautious knock on the door, and Reyna's honey colored head poked its way in the door. "Hey, can Percy receive visitors now?"

Bobby glanced at Percy, and felt his temperature, "Yeah, come on in."

Immediately Percy knew this was about to get a lot more complicated when a flowery, flowing dress whirled into the room and flew to him.

"Oh, Perc-Perc! Are you okay? Are you alright? I didn't know what to think! You had me so worried! I missed you; it's been, like, an hour since you'd been conscious! Oh, Perc-Perc! My poor Perc-Perc!" Valerie buried her head in his chest.

Annabeth carefully scrutinized this newcomer as Reyna, Dakota, Gwen, Aurora, and Sophie filed in. Reyna had her eyes glued to Jason, and seemed almost in a trance. Dakota and Gwen were looking at Percy with concern, but seemed unfazed with the midnight black head pressed against him. Aurora and Sophie had hard masks that could not be penetrated. Jason quietly observed his old friends, but moved back to stand with Leo and Piper, who looked rather shocked, and a little scared of Annabeth's reaction.

"What did you just call him?" Annabeth hissed, her eyes like steel.

"Perc-Perc," the girl explained, lifting her head from Percy's chest to look at Annabeth with attractive violet eyes, "It's short for Percy." It was strange, Annabeth gave her most menacing stare, yet the girl did not back down. In fact, she seemed completely unaware that Annabeth was trying to stare her down. The girl's eyes held no antagonisms in them, only a kind invitation.

Annabeth, however, held her stare. "Percy's already short for Perseus. Besides, Perc-Perc has the same amount of syllables in it as Percy, making it redundant."

Somehow, Percy expected a reaction like this. He wasn't sure what 'redundant' meant, but he was sure she was using it correctly.

The girl turned pensive, and her eyes got that faraway look that always lingered there, "Hmm… Yes. Yes, you're right. I'd never thought of that. I guess it'll just have to be short for Perseus, then." She turned to Percy, "What do you think, Perc-Perc?"

Percy looked uncomfortable, "Um… Yeah, okay. That works. Sure."

The girl gave a satisfied nod, "It's settled then," she turned once more to Annabeth, "I thank you sincerely."

Annabeth was utterly shocked. She had expected a verbal war, that she and Rachel had been so fond of once upon a time, but that girl had been sweeter than nectar.

The girl leaned toward Annabeth, offering her hand, "I didn't get your name."

"Annabeth."

"How nice to meet you, I'm Valerie. You're one of the Greeks?"

"Yeah, and so is _Percy_." Annabeth drew out 'Percy' simply because she hated 'Perc-Perc.' Seriously, who did this girl think she was?

"That's so cool!" Valerie exclaimed truthfully, "Now I understand why Perc-Perc was so different!"

Annabeth's eyes narrowed, "Oh?"

Jason, Piper, and Leo grew fearful at this look. They'd only seen it once before, and it hadn't ended well. _Never_ call Annabeth 'Wise-girl.' No one in there trio could figure out her aversion to it, but were too terrified to bring it up to anyone else. The Romans were watching the exchange with baited breath, waiting to see the outcome. If anything, they gained a new respect for the Greeks. This girl was vicious.

"Yeah," Valerie replied cheerily, completely unaware she was _this close_ to being out cold, "It was a little weird, how he called all the gods by the wrong name and was the best swordsman this camp has ever seen! He couldn't be defeated." Valerie smiled affectionately at Percy, "but that was the best thing about him."

Percy gave a small smile back, and no one moved. Even the Romans could tell that Valerie had made a dangerous move. In fact, Valerie appeared to be the only one unaffected by the tense atmosphere. At this point, Annabeth was seething.

"If you'll excuse me," Annabeth choked out, and then quickly exited, running, running until she couldn't anymore. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. She just kept running. Piper and Leo tried to follow her, calm her down, but they had six months of training and she had eleven years. She easily left them far behind.

Jason followed her. It wasn't like Piper or Leo had asked him to, in fact he barely thought. It was pure instinct. Loyalty. When he was lost, without his memory, without himself, she had helped him. Okay, the first time he saw her, she looked murderous, but… She'd seriously helped him. Piper and Leo were the best, but Annabeth was a leader. It was weird. Jason was a leader, but we wanted guidance. She offered it, and, quite frankly, it was some of the best advice he'd ever gotten. The Roman camp was all about battle, but Annabeth analyzed him individually as a person, not a soldier, and helped him find the best solution based on not only his thoughts but also his feelings. She helped him when he couldn't even help himself. The least he could do was return the favor.

So Jason ran, images of the camp whipping past him. Some he recognized, some he didn't. It would all come back in time. He followed a bright orange speck over hill, over dale, through brush, through briar, over park, over pale, through flood, through fire. He followed her until she collapsed on the ground. Not sobbing, not weeping. Just sitting atop the rock and gathering her thoughts as she gazed out on the sea churning beneath them.

Jason realized she was so lost inside herself; she had not yet sensed his presence. He decided to wait, and to watch. When the time was right, he would reveal himself. But she needed a moment to herself. He slipped behind a tree and quietly observed her.

Annabeth was aware of a presence behind her. She would have called out, but what was the point? It was clearly human. Maybe Piper, or Leo, or a Roman camper. It was leaving her alone, so she left him/her alone. She began running the previous scene through her mind, trying to come to terms with the situation.

Then, Annabeth sensed another presence behind her. One that was definitely not human and it was getting closer. She whipped around and stood, but not soon enough to avoid the black that slammed against her, pulling her down.

**As you can see, I'm rather fond of cliffhangers. Okay, contest! I need some characters for my other story, Unlikely Help. Be one! How to Enter:**

**There is an allusion in this chapter. You must find it. Once you have, you can become a character by telling me any or all of the following**:

**1. What it is from.**

**2. What character says it.**

**3. Who wrote it.**

**4. What an alusion is.**

**5. What the alusion is.**

**6. The rest of the dialogue. (It's rather long, so just a snippet will be fine)**

**I will choose the best anwser for each question. If you have won, I will PM you. The answers to all will be in the next chapter. *You have more of a chance if you also give a well-rounded review* Good Luck! Peace, Love, & Life.**


	5. Decode Paramore

_Back in the Infirmary_

Reyna looked at the door Jason had just disappeared through. She couldn't really believe that he'd run after the Greeks. She'd lost him again, no matter how brief an absence, to those outsiders. Okay, they seemed alright, but… Jason suddenly had this loyalty to them. He kept talking to _them_ and standing next to _them_. He said nothing to her so far. He didn't even seem to care.

_Did he lose his memory, like Percy? _Reyna wondered. But Percy was slowly regaining his memory, and Jason hadn't reacted to her at all. He knew, Reyna hadn't taken her eyes off him once.

Percy shook his head, "Whoa, Valerie… I have the strangest feeling that was very dangerous."

"It was." Leo walked back in, followed by Piper, panting. "An angry Annabeth is deadly." Leo eyed Valerie, "That took guts. I've seen her like that _once_, and not even Jason would stand up to her."

Valerie looked confused, "What do you mean? Was she upset?"

Piper stared at her, "It wasn't a clue when she ran out off the room freaking out?"

Valerie laughed, "You must not have heard her. She said 'if you'll excuse me.' That implies that she simply went to stretch her legs, or perhaps just get a breath of fresh air. I believe you were on the seas for some time? She might have been a tad nauseous. It's even possible she wanted to take a look around her new environment."

Now, Piper let out a small chuckle, "I don't think that's why Annabeth left, but that was… an interesting hypothesis."

Valerie frowned, uncomprehending, "But then why-"

"Who knows," Hazel cut Valerie off. Of course, everyone knew, but she didn't want to have to worry about explaining to Valerie. Valerie was super sweet, and pretty intelligent, but… she could be a little dense. Hazel then turned to the Greeks, "So… you knew Percy?"

"That's handy," her twin, Bobby, chimed in, "He's so different, we didn't always know just what to do with him. You know, he can't be hurt. Is that a thing with all Greeks, or…"

Piper caught a flicker of unease in the eye of a girl with ghostly white skin, light blond hair, and the palest blue eyes Piper had ever seen, standing next to a red-headed, dark-eyed girl who also had very light skin silently in the corner. _That's weird…_

Leo, on the other hand, remained oblivious, and responded to Bobby's question, "Actually… we arrived at camp after he disappeared."

Percy let out a deep sigh of relief, "Good. I thought I couldn't remember anything about you, which would've been pretty bad."

Piper snapped herself out of her reverie, and shook her head soothingly at Percy, "No. Annabeth's the only one on this quest who knows anything about you, so it's a good thing she knows everything about you."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "Everything?"

Leo nodded, "Till about six months ago, yeah."

Percy looked suspicious, and a little afraid, "So how much do you know?"

Both Piper and Leo chuckled. "Very little," Piper assured him, "Annabeth didn't really like to talk about you too much. It sort of… hurt her," Piper knew this was delicate. She was walking on thin ice, dancing with fire (but with Leo around, that wasn't such a big deal). She had to say this just right. "But how much she knew about you was apparent. She really cared about you." Piper prayed to every god she knew that she phrased that right.

Percy nodded, appeased. But this gave him more to think about, so he grew into pensive silence.

Now, Reyna felt the need to address what had been on her mind constantly these past six months since Jason vanished, and even more now that he had returned.

"So..." Reyna began; ready to talk about who _she_ cared about, "what has Jason been up to?"

Leo and Piper shared a look, as the two twins of Apollo leaned forward curiously.

"Well, we went on this quest… Rescued Hera. I mean, Juno." Piper said nervously. She didn't want to get on bad terms here, but Piper had a feeling this was the girl she had been worrying about.

"Oh?" Reyna's one syllable response held a million questions. "Anything else?"

"He's been a huge help around camp." Piper continued awkwardly, "since Percy had disappeared, the camp needed a leader. He was great. Jason even helped train some of the newcomers."

Reyna now felt quite conflicted. She was glad Jason had done so well at the Greek camp, but she wanted him be more comfortable here, where he belonged. If he prefers the Greek camp, then he'll live there and he'll find some Greek girl he likes and…Oh! It wasn't fair.

And why hasn't Leo spoken yet, you ask? He got a bit distracted by a certain daughter of Apollo as she gently patted Percy's face with a cool damp cloth.

He watched as she worked, carefully working with quiet yet intense focus. Soft melodious healing spells slipped between her perfect luscious raspberry-colored lips. Leo was in a trance when her delicate hand pushed back a single strand of her silky hair that flowed to her lower back like a river of caramel. He stopped breathing when she turned to look at him. He consumed himself with her light brown eyes, as a single fleck of gold danced across them before it disappeared.

Then he realized she'd spoken. Trying to impress her, Leo played it cool, "What was that, sweetheart?"

Bobby glared at Leo, and Hazel rolled her perfect eyes, "Can you hand me that jar right there?" she repeated, pointing.

Leo grabbed a jar from the table tucked into the corner, right next to him, and tossed it to her. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out the way he'd planned it. Hazel had turned back to Percy to assist her brother, and Leo's throw had fallen short. The jar landed at her feet, the glass splintering all over the floor and what looked like apple juice slid across the tiles.

"Ahh!" Hazel cried, and Bobby scowled. "You idiot Greek!" Bobby cried, "You just wasted two quarts of Nectar! That doesn't come cheap, you know!"

Leo's face grew hot (not that he noticed) "Sorry! I just-"

"Sorry?" Hazel exclaimed, "Sorry? I… Ugh! Just get out! Out!"

Leo slinked out, apologizing the entire time. He lurked outside for a while.

Meanwhile, inside, Piper was astonished. "Oh, let me help you with that!" she grabbed a cloth and bent to help Bobby and Hazel clean up Leo's mess, while Reyna picked the shards of glass off the floor. "Sorry, Leo… Well, let's just say he falls for every pretty girl he meets."

"Well, he doesn't need to hit on my sister," Bobby retorted angrily.

"Bobby," Hazel chided, "You don't need to baby me. I can take care of myself."

"If you could take care of yourself, that Greek wouldn't be hitting on you!"

"Leo doesn't hit on girls," Piper intercepted, "He really does fall for them. Honestly, this is the best one yet. There was a minor goddess who wanted to kill us and Jason's sister-"

"Jason doesn't have a sister." Reyna interrupted, "He's an only child. Jupiter wasn't supposed to have any children at all, but Jason was born anyway. If he had a sister, we would know about it." She puffed up with pride that she knew this about Jason.

However, Piper was just as knowledgeable on the subject, "Yes, but he does have a sister, just not a daughter of Jupiter."

Reyna glared, "If Jason had a sister _I _would've known about her."

Piper got up and looked Reyna in the eye, "Has it occurred to you that maybe Jason never told you about her? He didn't know she was still alive until recently, so it only makes sense he wouldn't talk about her. Thalia didn't tell anyone about him, not even Annabeth, her best friend."

Reyna shook her head to clear it. Of course, she was overreacting. "Sorry, I just… I haven't seen Jason in six months and I guess I'm just irritated because it was like he never even noticed me."

Piper, who was just on the warpath, blinked in surprise. Was she. . . Oh, zut.* She had charm spoken Reyna. Piper instantly turned into the sympathetic friend. "Jason was really nervous about returning. He was terrified that he wouldn't remember someone. It's possible he didn't react to you because he didn't want to offend you if he didn't remember something about you. Like your favorite color or whatever."

Reyna took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah, I guess that sounds like him." She wasn't going to say this. There's no way. "You know, you're pretty okay for a Greek."

Piper couldn't help but smile, "Most of us are." She turned to the two twins who had been watching the scene unfold with apt attention. "Sorry about Leo. He's just a little lost in the world."

Just then, the door banged open, and Jason barged in with Annabeth over his shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, for the contest. . . I'll give you guys one more chance. The allusion wasn't Harry Potter. Though, I must say I thought it clever that you thought of that- because it never even occured to me! However, that was only one thing you could of told me. So, here are the results:<strong>

**1. What it is from. **No correct answer yet.

**2. What character says it. **No correct answer yet.

**3. Who wrote it. **No correct answer yet.

**4. What an alusion is. **There were two really great anwsers for this one. However, one was anymous. So the winner is my AWESOME new beta~ Thalia Grace- Pinecone Face!

**5. What the alusion is. **No correct answer yet.

**YOU GUYS WANT A HINT? Yeah, I think you do. The paragraph it can be found in starts with "So Jason ran," Hope that helps!**

**Footnotes: **

*** **Zut is French for darn, rats, ect. Since Piper knows French I thought it might be interesting.

**Disclaimer: **Haven't found the escaped lemurs yet, and the replacements aren't arriving till next year. So, the short and long of it is (that was another hint), I don't own Percy Jackson and/or Heroes of Olymus.

_Check out the poll on my profile! Stupid me started too many stories. Which one should I really focus on updating? YOU TELL ME!_

And, to my fellow residents of Palaka- HI! Thanks for checking out my story!

**Enough! Hold or cut bow strings! (Another Hint.) Time to Go- At the duke's oak we meet. REVIEW!**

**Peace, Love, & Life**

**PLKBerry**


	6. Come Clean Hilary Duff

**Hi. Um. Sorry I've been lazy and haven't updated in a while. I've been playing with another story idea, that will tie all my stories together. So pay attention to offhand details, hm? They just might be something bigger. It's a lame cliffhanger, but I wanted something to keep you vaguely interested. Please review! Enjoy.**

"JASON GRACE YOU PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW!" Annabeth hollered as she hit and kicked in protest.

"Annabeth. I know. You mentioned that. But, as I mentioned, you were just surprised by a hellhound. You need to be looked at. Come on. Now, I know they're Roman, and you're Greek, but it's no different and Hazel and Bobby are really-"

"_Jason._" Annabeth stopped squirming, "I can handle a _hellhound_. I know you think I'm in trouble but I've been through a lot worse. I ran away when I was seven. I've been on three quests. I fought with a dislocated shoulder- I held up the _sky_. I can handle this."

"Yes. But you could be wounded. Even if you're strong, it doesn't mean you don't feel pain." Jason continued to calmly carry Annabeth into the room.

"It's a _scratch._ When I've been stabbed, we'll talk. I've been stabbed, too, now that I think of it."

Jason put her down on one of the beds, and she tried to get up, but was pushed back down.

Percy immediately sat up, "What happened to you?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Nothing, Seaweed Brain."

At the same time that Jason responded, "She was jumped by a hellhound."

"What?" Percy suddenly felt a flash of utter fear. He didn't know why, but he was pretty sure he'd faced a hellhound before. And it wasn't pretty.

"How did a hellhound get inside the borders?" Reyna suddenly turned very business-like.

"It must've been summoned. There's no other way," Hazel thought aloud with a worried expression on her face. Leo kinda lost himself in her eyes as they shined with determination.

Hazel's twin, Bobby, glared at Leo's dreamy expression, "Maybe one of our newcomers..."

Annabeth suddenly shot up, her eyes flashing with anger. "No-"

"It wasn't them." All eyes turned to the two silent figures in the corner of the room, where Sophie stepped in front of her companion, Aurora. "We've been with them the whole time they've been here. It's simply impossible." Her dark brown eyes flickered across Percy and Annabeth, lying on two of the three sick beds in the room. "Besides, how do we know this hellhound was unfriendly?"

Valerie stood, "What do you mean? Hellhounds are monsters. Monsters are generally bad."

Aurora's pale pink lips slid into a smirk, and her form flickered, "Generally, I'm a myth and don't exist. You may find a lot of generalizations are wrong."

Piper's eyes locked on Aurora, unsure of what to make of her, "Who… What are you?"

Her pale blue eyes sparkled, and she smiled warmly, "My name is Aurora. As to what I am… is it not familiar to you at all?" She seemed almost disappointed. Her white dress came to her knees and flared slightly. Her frizzy blonde hair puffed up around her ghost-like face.

Leo snapped himself out of his Hazel-induced trance and glanced at the two in the corner. He wondered why they were so silent only to protest once the Greek's integrity was questioned. "She looks like Mellie." He then quickly turned his attention to his girl _du jour_.

"She's an aura," Jason said in sudden realization, looking mystified.

Piper suddenly felt queasy. "You- You're getting your memory back?" A feeling of dread settled over her. He was going to remember his girlfriend, probably this Reyna person, and forget about her- with no help from Hera necessary.

"What-? No." Jason shook his head to clear it, "Well, yes. But…" he looked apologetically at the wind spirit, "I don't remember you."

"You wouldn't," Aurora soothed him; "I've only arrived a few months ago."

Jason took a breath, "Welcome to the camp," he attempted awkwardly. Piper inwardly swooned at his sweet endeavors. _He doesn't even know he's doing it…_ Piper realized. Whether he knew or not, Piper was slowing but surely crushing on Jason Grace harder with every breath.

Piper felt a heavy gaze fall over her, and looked to see Aurora's companion studying her. She didn't even try to hide her stare. _Weird..._

Sophie nudged Aurora and the trance was broken. "The point is not all monsters are bad."

Valerie continued to protest, as this contradicted the little logic she possessed. (She, indeed, preferred to come to her own conclusions. And that was something like this: Monsters = Bad. Me + Monsters = Worse.) "How could monsters be good?"

Sophie's eyes slid over to Percy, "You'd be surprised," and then they snapped back to lock with Valerie's gaze, "at the way things fall out."

"This doesn't make any sense," Valerie declared, and politely excused herself before she left to go train.

"Maybe it does make sense…" Annabeth prompted, after Valerie had left. "Not all monsters being bad."

"Why does that… I could've sworn I've had this conversation with someone before…" Percy muttered to himself, his brow furrowed, as Annabeth look on hopefully. "Was there… a Cyclops?" he continued louder, turning to Annabeth, who nodded vigorously.

"Your brother. And…?"

"Wait- your brother is a Cyclops?" Reyna demanded, "That… how?"

"Half-brother," Annabeth clarified, "I had the same reaction. He's, maybe ten now? Eleven? Really young, and super sweet."

Reyna heard this, and stood with a look on her face like, _Seriously? Is this a joke?_ "Right…" She then motioned for Percy to continue, but still looked baffled.

"My pet."

At this, the twins of Apollo both sputtered.

"But-"

"-How-"

"-Can't-"

"Bloodthirsty-"

"She's tame," Annabeth assured them, "and was inherited. Percy was shocked too, trust me. Tried to kill her at first, but he's really come to care about that thing."

"What-what is it?" Reyna asked cautiously, because these Greeks were total freaks!

"A hellhound," Annabeth announced confidently.

"Like, what just tried to kill you?" Bobby queried, because, frankly, he agreed with Reyna. Just plain weird, those Greeks.

"No. Mrs. O'Leary is completely different. She listens to Percy, and is gentle. Well, maybe not gentle, but she would never hurt anybody." Annabeth defended Percy's dog. Mrs. O'Leary made Percy happy, so Annabeth liked Mrs. O'Leary. That was that.

"Its name is _Mrs. O'Leary?" _Hazel demanded, "If I had a pet hellhound, I would name it something cool. Like, Shadow, or Midnight." Then cowering under Reyna's harsh judgment, "Of course, having a pet hellhound is a stupid idea anyway. I mean, how can you trust them?"

"It's easy." Percy spoke up, and then turned to Annabeth, "Right? I do trust her?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Of course, you Seaweed Brain! It's _you_. You're the most trusting person I know. Therefore, you're also the most trusted person I know."

"Okay." Bobby said hastily, "this is a little too weird for me. Hazel, can you get this?"

She scoffed, Leo swooned, and Bobby scowled, "And I don't just mean with those two." He gestured to Percy and Annabeth.

Hazel glanced at Leo, who was _still_ staring at her, then turned to her brother, "I'll be fine. I don't need looking after, you know."

"Yeah, just…" he leaned closer so only his twin could hear, "that Leo guy? You could do so much better." Bobby then got up and proceeded to the doorway, 'accidently' bumping Leo and knocking him out of his trance before his exit.

Piper moved over towards Annabeth, "I can't believe a hellhound got you. I guess its lucky Jason was there. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, this isn't bad at all." Annabeth waved her hand dismissively, "I remember once, at Percy's first capture the flag game, a hellhound was summoned into camp, and attacked. Percy was really hurt. Lucky it was near a river, or Nico would've been hero of the prophecy."

"I bet Hades would've liked that. Didn't he lock me up so Nico could bring glory to him?" Percy remembered suddenly.

"Yeah," Annabeth said animatedly, "And-"

"Actually," Reyna interrupted, "it would've been Jason." At whom she smiled fondly.

Jason shifted uncomfortably, "Yeah… It's probably better this way." He smiled awkwardly at Percy, "How did you deal with the pressure?"

Percy thought hard, "I… um… was spending time with…" he turned to Annabeth, "why do I keep thinking of bright paint and a sharp tongue?"

Annabeth laughed, "That's what you think of? Bright paint and a sharp tongue? Your head is full of kelp."

"I'm sure you've mentioned that before."

"Several times," She turned to Jason, "He was hanging out with Rachel."

"_Rachel?" _Piper exclaimed, "Sorry just… that's surprising. I mean, she's the oracle. I didn't know she could just hang out like that. Shouldn't she spend her free time, I don't know, summoning spirits?"

Annabeth shook her head, "That's all Nico. Sometimes. We don't encourage it. Anyhow, she only recently became the oracle."

Piper nodded, "Okay, so what-"

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"

**Again, lame cliffhanger, sorry. Okay, let's talk contests! The winners of the alusion contest are...**

**1. What is it from. **Mara jade chase

**2. What character says it. **Mara jade chase

**3. Who wrote it. **PLKMuffin

**4. What an allusion is. **Thalia Grace- Pinecone Face

**5. What the allusion is. **PLKMuffin

**6. The rest of the dialouge. **This winner went beyond the call, as I was only asking for up to "green," yet PLKMuffin went all the way up to "anon"

**Congratulations to all the winners! If you have won, please PM me, and I'll set you up as a character in my other story, _Unlikely Help_!**

**Allright, so I guess that's that. Give me your hands if we be friends, and Percy shall restore all amends! (I have a thing for Shakespeare. Particurarly A Midsummer's Night Dream.)**

**Peace, Love, & Life**

**PLKBerry**


	7. Hot N Cold Katy Perry

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, own Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Hereos of Olympus**

"What?" Hazel sputtered, "Me? What you are talking a-"

"No!" Bobby's voice tore angrily through the calm chatter previously taking place, and he stormed forward, roaring in his path and planted himself directly in front of Leo. "_You._ You were outside the infirmary alone and you stole from our ambrosia storage!"

"Wait-What? I didn't… You have ambrosia storage?" Leo asked in shock, "And you keep it _outside?_ That's not very smart. We keep ours in the sick room."

"Don't play dumb with me, Greek! I know it was you, because you're the only person who could've done it!"

"He's not playing," Piper stepped up, "He's telling the truth. Whoever did this was probably the same person to summon the hellhound."

Bobby kept his glare locked on Leo, "I don't doubt it."

Hazel stood and hurried over to her brother, "Bobby, come on. This isn't like you. It was probably just some stupid prank, or maybe someone needed it. Why do you keep blaming Leo for everything?" She grasped his arm, "If you don't get some sense, I'll have to slap it into you."

Bobby scowled, but his expression softened as he laid eyes on his sister. He backed away, and shot another glare at Leo before abruptly turning and storming out of the room.

Hazel watched him leave before going back and collapsing heavily in her chair next to Percy, who was sitting up and watching everything with apt attention. She looked down at her hands, then peeked up at Leo apologetically, "I'm so sorry about that, my brother can sometimes get a little protective and then he-"

"No, no, it's fine." Leo said immediately, anxious to please her, "I understand." Okay, total lie. He didn't understand at all, but she shot him a slight smile and his heart fluttered.

Everyone was in silence for a while, when Jason spoke up.

"I know it's hard to trust them, but I know them and it's pretty easy once you let yourself get over the differences." No one knew who he was addressing as 'them' but everyone wanted it to be the others.

"I agree. It might be difficult, but working together is the only way we can do this. Acceptance will be necessary." Percy added, locking eyes with Jason. It appeared they both knew and agreed. Or did they agree to disagree? Even Reyna and Annabeth couldn't tell.

They were quiet for a bit longer, when Reyna took a deep breath and said, "I should really inform Lupa of this turn of events." She then left with one last, lingering look at Jason, who didn't even look at her. As Piper watched her go, and the longing glance sent Jason's way, she couldn't help feeling sorry for her. Piper looked at Annabeth, who was sitting there with a million thoughts running through her head. Piper remembered her at Camp when she didn't know where Percy was. Piper remembered earlier the look on her face when Valerie had flown into the room. _If it were me, in Reyna's position, _Piper thought, _I would be so sad. I would hate whoever tried to take him from me. _

Jason was not unaware of Reyna's constant ogling, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her. He still didn't really know what he thought of her, but he did know he really liked Piper. Jason couldn't stop thinking about her. Her ever-changing eyes, her laugh, her flawless French accent. Wow…

He also knew that Reyna hadn't gone to talk to Lupa. He ducked out of the room wordlessly after Reyna, and Piper watched him leave with pain in her eyes, remembering the empathy she felt for Reyna. She took a deep breath and fixed her eyes on the floor, imagining how happy Annabeth would be if Percy could remember her, or even if he couldn't, remembered enough to still love her. If Jason loved Reyna, and was happy with her, Piper would be happy for him. Her eyes began to smart with un-spilled tears. She quietly excused herself, and ran off. She found herself at the base of a very large oak tree, tucked in with the roots. She sat quietly, and a few tears began slowly making their face down her face.

Jason knew where he would find her. He walked on the well-worn paths of his home, and eventually came to the Ceres cabin, surrounding by a tangle of vines, plants, and everything in between. He walked around back to a small patch of poison ivy. That was easy to see. What wasn't was the slight path with grape vines tethering back the poison ivy. Jason quickly disappeared into the thicket, and dove into the little underground wonderland for a child of Ceres. There, he found Reyna alone, tending the plants the way she always did when she was upset.

"Hey."

She whirled around, "Jason."

"Look, about how I was acting, I was being a jerk. I just couldn't remember you very well, and I still don't really know how I feel about all this. That is to say, well, you, and-"

"-Jason, stop, you-"

"No, I really need to get this out. The thing is, I really like Piper, and I don't want to lead either of you on,"

"-No, you don't-"

"And I don't know what you meant to me, exactly, but I know you're important to me"

"-Jason-"

"And Piper's important to me, too and don't want to mess this up, and-"

"Jason, stop! Just… So, you thought we were, like, together?" Jason couldn't figure out what the tone of her voice meant.

"Well, yeah." Jason didn't know what he expected her reaction to be, but what he didn't expect was for her to burst out laughing.

When she finally stopped, she talked in gasps as she tried to regain her breath. "You thought we were together? You're so stupid, Jason. Why would you think that?"

A slight pink flush began to creep across Jason's cheeks, "Well, you were the first person I remembered and if I liked you I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about you, so I would remember you first."

Reyna put her hands on her hips and sent him a smirk, "And how did you know you wouldn't be able to stop thinking about a girl you liked?"

Now, Jason's face was completely red. "Well, um, you see, uh…"

"Hm?"

Jason muttered something Reyna couldn't make out.

"What was that?"

"WellIcan''.''-"Jason sped out his words in record time, afraid Reyna would judge him.

Reyna raised her eyebrows, "Right… I caught none of that. But, I do know you, Jason, so I bet your discovery can all be summed up in about one word." She cocked a hip and grinned evilly, "Piper."

"Um, maybe."

"Ooh- I'm going to have so much fun with this! You haven't liked a girl properly since Nikki! So," Reyna hurried up closer, "Tell me everything!"

"Funny, I was sure you were a daughter of Ceres, not Venus," Jason smiled, but wasn't really joking. If he was remembering things wrong…

Reyna's brow furrowed in confusion, "I'm no way a daughter of Venus. Why would I be?"

"Why else would you be so interested in my love life?"

"Because I'm your best friend and if you didn't tell me I'd kill you."

"Best friends? No romance at all?" Jason confirmed.

"Last time I checked."

Jason let out a small sigh of relief. So, maybe he and Piper were a possibility, after all.

**So, who's got it out for the Legion Camp? How will Jason react? Will he and Piper get together? Will Percy remember enough about Annabeth to be with her? Will Leo and Hazel get together before Bobby impales him? Why I am asking you all these questions? To keep you somewhat interested! This is, like, the first chapter without a cliffhanger, so I hope you still continue to read it. Also, I've given the titles names of songs that are suggested soundtracks to listen to while reading. Even if it's an artist you don't love, I urge you to listen to it because I think it can enhance the experience. Anyhow, review please!**

**Peace, Love, & Life**

**PLKBerry**


	8. Another Now Kate Alexa

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned any creative rights. (But how cool would that be?)**

**Also: Giving some love to my beta~ Thalia Grace-Pinecone Face! Whooooooooooo!**

**Not much plot development in this chapter, but I'm bringing in some characters I've been wanting to, and this was really nessacery for it. The next chapter will be more interesting, I promise. Also, for those who requested I bring in more Valerie, she will be appearing in the next few chapters. Now, I comand you to Read! **

Piper sat in the middle of a tangle of roots, and let herself sob. Horrible, loud, heartbroken sobbing that would wrench the heart of any passerby. She tried to once more feel the empathy for Reyna, and for Annabeth, but she came up blank. She was starting to quiet down, when she heard a soft singing. It didn't seem to make a lot of sense. A female voice sang, _Foux de Fa Fa, Foux de Fa Fa Fa Faaaa, Foux de Fa Fa, Aaaiii!*_ It faded out, and Piper sat quietly. After all that had happened, it was all gone. Jason… didn't care about her that way. Why would he? She clearly wasn't his type. His type was grounded leaders with a large streak of kindness a mile wide, beautiful and skilled. Piper wasn't anything like that. She was an idealist, hardly grounded, who could be pretty vicious when she wanted to be. And she was hardly anyone's view of beautiful. The only real skill she had was charmspeaking, which she hated.

She sat there for some time, completely numb, not allowing herself to feel the inevitable pain that was to come. Then, there was a soft rustle in the trees, and a lithe figure sprung out from the bushes.

"Ahhh!" Piper yelped, and started slightly.

"Oh, I am so sorry! I did not mean to frighten you!" the girl assured her, "I do not care to hurt you." She was pretty, looking about Piper's age. Her dark brown hair curled around her shoulders, and her olive skin complimented her dark green eyes. Her dark glasses resembled a wrought iron fence with leaves curling around it. She looked like the sort of girl who didn't try to stand out, and instead tended to blend into the background, which is probably why Piper hadn't noticed her. Just someone who quietly did their task, and helped others shine; never unleashing the full power they possessed on an innocent. "On the contrary," she continued in her soft sweet woodsy (yet feminine) voice, "I want to help. I heard your cries, and thought I might offer reassurance. I am Ivy, by the way."

"Piper," she introduced herself, finding an odd familiarity in this new acquaintance. Longing to be heard, and understood. To be noticed for something other than a physical appearance. Piper had felt that many times, and a silent mutual bond formed between them. Piper had said but one word to her, and yet she felt as though she had known this girl forever. "I've always liked Ivy."

A small knowing smile instantly appeared on the girl's caring face, "The feeling forever mutual. I knew I recognized you."

"You did?" Piper furrowed her brow for a moment, before a flash of a memory flung to her mind.

"_Everyone be careful now," the tour guide called, "The poison ivy is really thick here." Piper trudged through the forest with the rest of the class. She strayed slightly from the path, stepping into the thicket of vines. At the young age of seven, Piper liked the woods, but she could hear the popular clique complaining. _

"_Eeewwww!" cried Mikayla, "Look at all the bugs!"_

"_Is that poison ivy? Eeewwww!" Haley squealed._

"_Look! Piper is _in _it!" Olive pointed out._

"_Eeewwww!" They all jeered. Piper swore that was like their catchphrase or something. She ignored them and kept to the edge._

_The tour guide began bubbly telling them about the different species of plants and blah, blah, blah. She turned to look at the class, when she caught sight of Piper. Her face suddenly took on an alarmed expression, "You! You there! Get out of that!" She stormed through the group, perky demeanor gone, grabbed Piper's arm and yanked her into the center of the path. "That's poison ivy, and you'll want to wash that off your skin right away before your skin starts reacting to it! Have you been walking in it the whole time?"_

"_Yes, I-"_

"_Oh no! Not on my tour! It can't be! You're coming with me little missy, and we'll have to get you cleaned up quick before it spreads! Don't touch anything or anyone and don't let them touch you." She led (dragged) Piper away to the Ranger Station, where Piper was hurriedly pushed into the back and stripped of clothing. It vaguely registered that Piper should be embarrassed, but she was still kind of in shock._

_The tour guide examined her arms and legs, and then leaned back with a sigh of relief, and a smile spread across her face."Well, it looks like you and I both cut a lucky break. You're one of the very few that isn't bothered by Poison Ivy. I'd still get it off your skin, though, because it will bother other people."_

Piper snapped back to herself. She was fifteen again.

"When I see a certain grace in a person, I remember them. You are one of the few I take care not to bother." She pushed her glasses up higher on her nose, "The others… I cannot always help it. It is not that I wish to be a bother. I attempt to be a nice little plant, adorning old buildings and complimenting my sisters in the forest; but when someone rubs me in a displeasing way…" she shrugged elegantly and delicately, "It is not my fault that so many humans react negatively to my presence." She looked at me for a moment, "It is not, is it?" she added as an afterthought.

"You're a nymph," Piper realized.

"Indeed," she confirmed, "You are the first human to converse with me without distaste in some time." She tilted her head, "It is quite strange, but a positive change I assure you. However, that is not why I appeared before you. I believe you are rather forlorn. Would you care to share with me the reason?"

Piper sighed, "It's complicated," she admitted.

Ivy sat in a lady-like fashion with her long dress billowing out before her. It was a dark olive green with shimmering almost translucent interweaving leaves as a subtle pattern. "I have plenty of time, and I do not often have the pleasure of human company."

Piper told Ivy about everything that had happened since she arrived at the Wilderness school. From the fake memories given by Hera, to the quest, to Jason's amnesia, to the voyage to the Roman camp, to Reyna, to her own insecurities about everything- Piper spilled. She didn't know why or how she suddenly found the words, but she did. That is, until a loud scream vibrated through the trees and Piper caught sight of a flash of bright blood-colored red.

**Keep your mind open to the possibilities surronding the cliffhanger. That's all I'm saying.**

***A nonsensical French sounding phrase from the song _Foux de Fa Fa _by Flight of the Concords. This ties into the next chapter.**

**Hey, a shout out to my PLK peeps! Hope you liked the _Foux de Fa Fa _and there will be a character as into them as Steven- just wait. I might have to e-mail that chapter to him once I finish it.**

**Reviews encourage me, and allow me to know what you guys what more/less of. More Valerie? I'm working it in there. Less Valorie? I'm trying to tone her down a bit. If you like or dislike something PLEASE let me know. Thanks! Also, if you read the author's note, put (though it kills me, this is for pie) 'fantabulous' somewhere in your review. Shout outs to the people who do will come next chapter.**

**Peace, Love, & Life**

**PLKBerry**


	9. Airplanes BoB

**Disclaimer: I own... a chocolate bar. That's pretty much it. And it isn't even in this story. So please don't sue me or my chocalate bar.**

**Also: I am sorry. You can ask anyone- I had a horrible case of Writer's block. But then- something happened! Yesterday. Something. Happened. And now, today, I WAS FIXED! So, in honor of yesterday, please put the word "victory" or "victorious" somewhere in your review. Thanks! Without furthur ado, READ!**

Reyna stared at him, "Wow."

"Yeah," Jason agreed, shifting his wait, "So, what do you think?"

"I think that, if possible, you've gotten even stupider in the past six months."

Jason blinked, "What?"

"It's simple!" Reyna rolled her dark brown eyes, "You like her, she likes you. There you go!"

"But you're not factoring in the fake memories, the memory loss, and everything else that's happened," Jason persisted.

"Uh, yeah, Jason, I have. You're regaining your memory again now, and you've figured out I'm not your," she paused, as if the thought disgusted her, "Your girlfriend. So what's the problem?"

"Well…. Uh, you see… It's….. How do I even know she likes me like that?" Jason pushed, trying to find a reason to make this as complicated as it was in his mind, where his thoughts jumbled together in a mess that resembled a tossed salad.

Reyna just looked at him. "When you met, she thought she was happily dating you."

"But she could have changed her mind!"

"She could have," Reyna amended, "but she didn't."

Jason walked around the room, staring at the walls, "It's too great a chance. Better to not risk it."

"Oh no- You are not going into leadership mode now. It's clearly time for you to get your tail out from between your legs, and get yourself a girlfriend!"

"I don't want a girlfriend."

"No, you want Piper. A specific girl to be your girlfriend. You have your mission, are you going to fail?" Reyna forced Jason to look her in the eyes, changing tactics to appeal to his training.

"I don't need a girlfriend." But he wouldn't meet her eyes and it was clear that he was trying to convince himself.

"Your happiness is a necessity." With that final word, she left Jason standing alone in the small carved out area with his thoughts.

_In the Infirmary_

Sophie sighed, "We should probably be going now. Hope you guys get well soon."

Hazel, Percy, and Annabeth mummer good-byes as Sophie and Aurora ghosted out of the room.

Hazel continued to tend Percy and Annabeth's wounds, but quickly found there wasn't much left for her to do. She decided that the only thing left was to try to raise their spirits. In battle, one of the healer's jobs was to keep up the morale of the wounded.

"So, you and Percy knew each other?" she asked casually, hoping some new memories would improve Percy's condition. Though he seemed fine now, Hazel supposed this particular case was unique, and should be monitored carefully before they could be positive he was completely fine.

"Yes," Annabeth replied thickly, almost remorsefully, as though she longed for those days. "We were…. Very close."

Something about the way she said it made Hazel believe they were more than just good friends, however Percy remained as oblivious as ever when it comes to that sort of thing.

"Did you do much together?"

"Three quests, and then there was the war…." Annabeth trailed off in painful memory as she rolled her shoulder, which Hazel thought was rather odd.

"Tell me about-"

"Wait," Percy interrupted, brow furrowed, "I thought I went on four quests."

"You did, but I didn't go on your third."

"Why?" Hazel asked, "What was the quest?"

"To save Artemis or Diana for you, who had been imprisoned. I didn't go, because I….. I had been captured, too. I was the bait. Artemis couldn't resist trying to help a maiden in trouble, and I was close to death."

"Death?" Hazel leaned forward earnestly, "You were in perfect health when you got here!"

"That had been two and a half years ago, I'm fine now." Annabeth was quiet now, and Percy wondered why.

Hazel yearned to know what had caused Annabeth, who looked quite strong, to be put in such a weak position, but didn't want to anger her. High negative emotions would slow down the recovery ten-fold, and she looked rather restless as it was.

"If you don't mind me asking, why…. What happened?"

"I think that earlier I mentioned I bore the weight of the sky…"

_In the Forest_

_That is, until a loud scream vibrated through the trees and Piper caught sight of a flash of bright blood-colored red._

Piper popped up, momentarily forgetting her troubles, and ran towards the sound. She was half-way there when she realized Ivy had not followed her, but instead softly stood and was lazily making her way towards the noise. Piper whirled around, and confronted her.

"Well? Aren't you worried about whoever that is?"

"Not particularly, no. I recognize that cry of distress, you see, we hear it every day. I care dearly for all of my sisters, but this one is a bit of a drama queen. It could be anything. She could have spotted a dead insect, or one caught in the web of a spider, or perhaps saw what she thought to be clipping shears. She detests being pruned, you see. In any case, it is highly unlikely that it is a legitimate emergency. "

"But, what if there is a problem?"

"We can certainly find out. Follow me, if you please." Ivy led Piper through the thick brush of the forest, until she pushed aside a branch to reveal what appeared to be an average teenage girl, but that wasn't what caught Piper's attention. It was the other girl writhing in pain on the ground.

_Back in the infirmary_

"Well, that's quite a story," Hazel commented in awe after Annabeth had explained all that happened, "but what about your other quests?"

"Well, the quest we went on was when we were twelve, and-"

At that moment, Sophie rushed in the door, "Hazel! Come quickly!" then dashed back out again.

"I, uh, better find out what that was about, sorry. " Hazel hastened out the door, leaving Percy and Annabeth alone.

Hazel looked around, and saw Sophie running towards the forest where red flames licked up towards the sky.

"No," she breathed as she took off running towards the forest fire.

**Oh, yeah. I'm that evil. Just be lucky that I didn't end in the middle of a sentance, cause I was going to. More rising action in this chapter, I plan things to become more optomistic soon. I hope. Anyhow, special shout-outs to:**

**Eleos**

**posiedon262**

**PLKMuffin**

**for reading my author's note last time! Another extra-special shout out to PLKMuffin because she tried to help me out of my writer's block, even though it didn't really work, I totally appreciate it! More Flight of the Concords will come next chapter. So, I'll try to update soon, but no promises in fear I won't.**


	10. Simple Song Miley Cyrus

**It's been a while. I'm sorry. Been a bit busy, going through a Harry Potter phase, and mentally preparing myself for the epic amozing-ness that is to occur on the tenth of October. I'll try to update faster next time, but... No promises. Just in case.**

**There is some serious indirect characterization in this chapter. Who can tell me where it is? The one who does will be rewarded in a form that I will not disclose until a later date. Translation: Not sure what the prize will be. Do it anyway! Now- YOU SHALLTH DOTH READ! **

"Oh my gods! Oh my gods! Oh my gods! Oh. My. Gods."

"Holly, please, Silence," Ivy crouched down to the girl on the ground, who had begun shrieking in pain. "There is nothing wrong with her, it must be her tree." Ivy calmly stood and turned to the other girl, who Piper assumed was Holly, "Where is her tree?"

"That's Ash," Holly said shakily, "she's on the South-Eastern edge of the forest."

"Thank you. I shall go see it and try to find the problem." Ivy then hurried away and left Piper alone with the two girls. Piper ran over to the one on the ground, and noticed her tan skin was rough- should it be that way? Her dark withering green eyes were moaning in agony, and she gasped out ragged breaths through dry chapped lips. Her frizzy light hair swirled out around her face, very curly and voluminous. She curled on her side and her brown dress crushed against the earth, shifted so it revealed more of her arm, which glistened black. Piper frantically looked for something she could do, but was found she was helpless to whatever was going on with the nymph.

The girl behind her recommenced whimpered rather loudly as she shrank away from Piper and the girl writhing on the ground. Piper glanced back, a bit annoyed with her unhelpful companion. Her bright red hair was the color of fresh blood, shimmering in much softer curls that barely reached her shoulders, and her dark green eyes set against her smooth complexion in a pleasing way. Her short dark green skirt tightly wrapped around her mid-thighs, and she shuffled nervously on bright red stiletto heels that complimented her long legs. A pair of slender arms wrapped around a willowy torso clad in a low crimson revealing top. "Oh my gods."

Piper grimaced, she knew her fair share of girls like that, and they were all the same. She quickly turned her attention back to the girl at her feet, who was now shrieking as if being burned from the inside. Piper looked on helplessly, unsure of what she could do as Holly did nothing and kept up her mantra.

Just then, Ivy came back with a solemn, resigned look on her face. "There is nothing we can do."

"What?" Piper sprang up, "What do you mean? There must be something!"

Ivy shook her head, and a sweet tear began slowly moving down her face, "A forest fire. They have fixed it, now, but Ash…. She will not make it. They have stopped the flames, but she is smoldering internally. All we can do is be with her and try to ease her way into reincarnation as best we can."

Holly gasped, "No!" then promptly recommenced her annoying verbal pattern.

Piper didn't know what to do, she felt as if _she _were the one being smothered by smoke. She couldn't move, she couldn't think- Well, she really couldn't think with Holly in the background. "Will you please _shut up?_" She hissed, and instantly Holly fell silent. Suddenly, a thought came to her.

"Ivy?"

"Yes, Piper?" Ivy looked up from where she was kneeling by Ash, cradling her hand, as tears continued to fall rhythmically.

"Would it help if we could… ease the pain?"

A look of surprise fell upon Ivy's weathered face, "Well, yes, I suppose, but how do you intend to do so?"

"I'm not sure I can, but… I can try." Piper knelt down next to Ivy, looking into Ash's green eyes, and felt a wave of grief fall over her for the girl she never knew. "It doesn't hurt." Piper spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, but with power that made it strong, "It doesn't hurt at all and in fact, it's sort of calming."

Slowly, Ash's tense face relaxed, and her eyes took on a slightly dreamlike feel. "It feels nice."

Her body fell limp and still.

Ivy smiled through the tears, "I have not the knowledge how you did so, but you have just created the most peaceful death I have seen in all my years. How lovely… There are few who see the beauty in natural death, as the world is so crowded with gunfire and bombing raids these days… This may be as close as any of us will ever see… This is what she would have wanted…" Ivy's intelligent eyes lifted from the small sprout and met Piper's gaze, "Thank you."

_Thirty Minutes Previously_

Leo kicked around some leaves scattered on the ground at the edge of the forest. Jason had run off to Zeus knows where, and Piper was probably somewhere in the forest, crying her eyes out about him. Leo couldn't being a little relieved. If Jason and Piper weren't dating, he'd feel a little more included. Of course, it wouldn't help if they weren't talking to each other, either.

Honestly, Leo wasn't completely sure how he felt about everything. It was all pretty confusing. And that's forgetting the whole Gaea/Giants take over the world thing. That could present a slight issue. But, right now, Leo knew the biggest concern was to make alliances with the Romans. They were playing something like diplomats, or ambassadors, and trying to make friends. With some, it was easy. They were willing to make peace and interested in the Greeks, like Hazel. He swooned a bit when he thought of her. Others were being more difficult, like her brother Bobby.

Bobby really made Leo's blood boil with anger. Why did he blame him for everything that went wrong with the Roman camp, anyway? What was going on? Who would want to sabotage the Camp like that? Gaea? But she was still sleeping, wasn't she? Piper put her to sleep, didn't she? Leo's head was so full of questions; he didn't notice where he was going until he bumped headlong into Bobby.

"Watch where you're going," Bobby scowled.

"Sorry," Leo said, trying to keep his temper as they had to get along for the mission to work, "I was just distracted."

Bobby paled, "I hate to think of what thoughts distracted you."

Leo was confused for a moment, before giving Bobby a weird look, "Dude. No. Just, no. That's messed up."

"A legitimate concern," Bobby retorted, eyes narrowing, "Who knows what sick things lurk in your mind."

"What is your problem, man?" Leo held out his hands in a what-did-I-do gesture, "What do you have against me?"

"Well, there's the fact that you keep making moves on my sister," Bobby frowned further, "My _little _sister."

"I thought you guys were twins."

"We are, born twenty-four hours apart," Bobby explained, "Technically I'm a day older."

"Either way, she's old enough to take care of herself. And I'm not "making moves" on her, or whatever you want to call it." Leo made air quotes around the words, "It's none of your business if I like her."

"It is, actually." Bobby stepped closer to Leo, "You may have fooled everyone else, but I know who you are and what you're doing."

"And who exactly do you think I am?" Leo inquired, also stepping closer.

"Drop it. I know you're a servant of Gaea."

**Ooh! So, who thinks Leo really is a servant of Gaea? Who thinks Bobby's statement is incorrect and inconcievable? Tell me in a review! Better yet, tell me which you will prefer. I mean, I already know, but it would be nice to hear your thoughts. Also, I looked up pictures of both healthy and dying Ash Trees and tried to combine them into a person. I couldn't find any burnt ones, just the ones eaten by beetles. I hope I did okay. **

**IMPORTANT: I really need input on the death scene. I'm considering killing off a character who people don't seem to be crazy about, (no hints on who it is) and I'd like to know if I can do it. I really don't want to do it, and find out people don't like it at all. **

**Also, I know that I said I'd have more Valerie a couple chapters ago, but I changed direction slightly. SHE WILL BE IN SOON. Along with more Flight of the Concords, for those who have been craving them (ahem, PLKMuffin, ahem). I would gladly accept suggestions concerning her next appearance. And I will try very hard to incorperate the Percabeth that was going to be in this chapter but never made it in here. I already know exactly how the scene will unfold. Thanks, and as always, I really appreciate feedback. BTW, using the word 'persist' in your review will get you a shout-out next chapter!**

**Peace, Love, & Life**

**PLKBerry**


	11. Complicated Avril Lavine

**Read now, Author's Note later.**

_In the Infirmary_

As soon as the last caramel lock disappeared out the open doorway, allowing a sliver of sunlight to spill through onto the gleaming tiles, dripping over to the beds where Annabeth and Percy lay, Annabeth sat up abruptly.

"What was that about?" she started to get up, but Percy cut in, reminding her Hazel's words.

"You're supposed to be staying in bed."

"Yeah, I'm supposed to do a lot of things that never happen; like keeping you safe, for one," She stood, wandering over to the door, but couldn't quite see the burnt sienna flames licking up to the smoky clouds, so turned back to face Percy. She studied him for a moment, allowing her eyes to linger over the face she'd memorized years ago. His black hair flopped into his eyes slightly, but he shook it out and Annabeth locked his gaze on the sea green she had been so acquainted with.

But there was something wrong. There was no feeling in his eyes beyond searching for something that wasn't completely there; not a single flicker of recognition. It physically hurt her to look at him, knowing that he saw nothing beyond a girl- that he didn't see her. Annabeth looked away, focusing on a picture of Romulus, who Rome was named for. She noticed there was nothing for Remus, his twin brother who Romulus had killed in a power struggle for Rome. Annabeth supposed it was because they felt it to be sending the wrong message by having a picture of someone who was defeated since the Romans only ever thought of victory.

Percy observed the girl who claimed to know him so well. He believed her, completely and utterly- he just wished he could know her that well in return. He may have, before he lost his memory, but he didn't know much about her beyond the memory Aphrodite had showed him and what she shared with Hazel and some of the others, and he felt guilty. Jason at least knew something, maybe if Percy had tried hard enough, he would know more. Her blonde hair had small streaks of silver in it, and was pulled into a lopsided ponytail with a dirty hair band. Percy desperately searched her eyes for something more, but the misty gray remained unyielding and unrevealing- holding no apparent answers to any of this questions. He felt some sort of longing to hear her voice. Maybe, if she said the right thing, some sort of memory could be triggered…

"So," Percy began unsure of where he was headed with this as Annabeth leaned casually against the doorframe, "you say we knew each other pretty well?"

Annabeth refused to meet his eyes, and she held a reminiscent look on her sweet face, but it was painful all the same to think about. "We were… best friends for nearly four years."

"Nearly?"

"Things… changed." Annabeth shifted her weight and stared at the floor.

"Changed?"

"Yeah. Not in a bad way, really, just… different." Annabeth glanced out the door, drinking in the late afternoon sun.

"Different?"

"Yeah… And, then you disappeared and no one really knew what to think…"

Percy noticed how she changed the subject, and the faint pink that spread on her cheeks seemed familiar. "And what did you think when you found me?"

For the first time, Annabeth met his eyes, and he saw that they were filled with hurt, "I think that I'm still looking.

_With Reyna and Jason_

_"I don't need a girlfriend." But he wouldn't meet her eyes and it was clear that he was trying to convince himself._

_"Your happiness is a necessity." With that final word, she left Jason standing alone in the small carved out area with his thoughts._

Reyna stepped out of the tangle of vines that hid the entrance to her hideout. She needed somewhere she could think. Jason may be her best friend, but he was the only thing that truly infuriated her. That, and when someone asked her about her name. They figured that her Indian lineage must have some sort of meaning to it. Technically, it would if it hadn't been misspelled in translation. Her father had meant to name her Rena, meaning peace, but he had written it in Hindi, and when the translator wrote it in English he changed "Rena Patel" to "Reyna Patel." Her father, who had been a farmer before he immigrated to America, was unable to read English and never realized the mistake until she was older and her aunt noticed the error.

But that wasn't the point.

The point was that Jason was an idiot.

That settled it. She had to talk to Piper, snap him out of it. She was the daughter of Venus's Greek counterpart, right? She had to be able to do something. Reyna knew Jason, and Jason leading half an army while keeping peace with the other half while he's being moody about a girl equals disaster.

But where did she get off to?

Reyna walked purposely yet aimlessly, as she knew not where to go. If she were a daughter of Venus, in the Greek camp, where would she go? That was easy- the Aphrodite cabin to catch up on gossip. But Piper had arrived in modest jeans and a t-shirt and the ever-present trait of beauty seemed to come from inner strength and confidence as opposed to ostentatious clothing and expensive accessories. The Venus cabin was too mainstream for the independent Greek. They were so much more… individual. Even though she was raised to believe that an army was strongest when all was one, she respected that each soldier had their own fighting style and saw the strategy behind it. It certainly would make it more difficult for the enemy to anticipate the attack.

So… where could she find Piper?

She focused so much on her mission that she stumbled right into Leo, the other boy Jason had arrived with. Though, to give her credit, he seemed just as distracted if not more so.

"Sorry, you haven't seen Jason, have you? Or Piper and Annabeth?" All the while, he looked around wildly, his curls shifting every which way.

"Jason was over by the Ceres cabin, and Annabeth should still be in the infirmary, but I was looking for Piper myself. Is something wrong?"

Leo turned to her, but his eyes continued searching around, "Well, nothing we didn't expect, and nothing I can't handle, but it might be a good idea to let them know…"

"What's going on?"

"I . . . got mad." He finally stood still, but refused to meet her gaze.

"Okay? What does that mean?"

"Well, sometimes, things . . . happen when I get mad," Leo said meaningfully.

"Like?" Reyna prompted, and he finally met her eyes.

". . .Do you think anyone would notice a small little forest fire?"

**Yes, Leo started the fire. But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so. Actually, Demetrius hasn't read this story, so...**

**Speaking of the story, I'm sure you're all aware that the real Son of Neptune is released tomorrow (at least where I live), so once again, Harry, I must ask too much of you.**

**1. Please continue to read my story after the real one comes out.**

**2. Please remember this isn't the real story, and does not necessarily have any thing in common with it.**

**3. Please don't send me reviews with things like, "Hazel isn't Bobby's sister," or "Reyna isn't Indian." This is my world. Get over it.**

**Thanks for your thoughtfulness! In other news, let us rejoice, as the next book is upon us! In honor of the great literature that shall be in our hands so soon, please incorporate the word "Starfish" into your review. The reasons for this will be in the next chapter. Or the next one. No promises.**

**Also: PLKMuffin rules. Thanks for all the support and putting up with my rants! :) Special shout out to you for all the help with Reyna's heritage, and the fantastical suggestion of "Rena" Tu es magnifique!**

**Peace, Love, & Life**

**PLKBerry**


	12. No Air Jordan Sparks

**So, in this chapter, we'll finally have that Flight of the Conchords thing! And an explanation of the Starfish thing. And some more hidden meaning stuff. There's a lot of stuff in this chapter. This chapter, which you shall enjoy for I decree it! R&R**

_In the Infirmary_

Percy and Annabeth stared at each other for a few moments, until Annabeth realized she'd started to cry. She hated crying in front of people. Normally, Percy was the exception. But normally, Percy knew who she was. Hastily, she wiped her tears.

"I…" she voice broke and she took a deep breath, "I have to go." With that, Annabeth whirled out of the room and somehow ended up at the same spot she sat before when she had run from that room and Percy and Valerie. But this time it was occupied.

With ankles crossed and hands folded on her lap, rich straight dark hair flowed down like a waterfall contrasting greatly with the pastel flowery dress and light sandals. She was singing to herself. And not quietly, either; full out song.

"Posing, posing like a swan/Posing, posing for a portrait/Posing a threat!"

Annabeth blinked, and stayed in the shadows.

"You think you know fashion/Well, fashion's a stranger!"

Annabeth stood, watching this unguarded moment.

"You think fashion's your friend/My friend, fashion is danger!"

Annabeth stepped out of the shadows slightly, hardly realizing it, for she was intrigued by the mysterious song.

She then proceeded to ramble off a list of cities, ending with, "New York City, N-N-N-New York City."

Then the girl turned, and her purple eyes sparkled. "Hello. Did you like it? It's by Flight of the Conchords, they're my favorite band; consisting of these two guys: Brett and Jemaine. Brett's cool, but Jemaine is even more so."

Annabeth blinked and crept cautiously forward, "What?"

Valerie shrugged and turned forward again. "They're not for everyone, I suppose." She shifted to one side, and gestured to the section of rock beside her. "Do, sit."

"I'd rather stand."

Valerie sighed. "I suppose I should address the cat in the room. Or the clearing, I suppose."

Annabeth gave her a look. "Isn't the saying 'the elephant in the room'?"

"Yes. But you know, I never understood that; and 'cat' seems so much more appropriate, don't you think? I'm allergic, you see, so it's much more demanding of my attention, making me sneeze and all of that." Valerie explained, "Odd, perhaps, but I can feel it if a cat has been in a certain room regularly, even twenty years after its gone if they are enough traces, which they're often are."

"So you're so busy sneezing, you wouldn't notice the elephant?"

"It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open, and it generally dulls all your senses, but that's not the point," Valerie redirected, "The point is that I have an apology to make. I realize it may have been upsetting to see me react that way this morning in the infirmary. You see, when I was very young, my father got in a car crash. I went to visit him at the hospital, and he was sleeping. He never woke up." She explained this all very calmly, as if she'd explained it an infinite number of times, "Lupa says I react to those kinds of situations now because of it. I can get a little hysterical, I suppose," Valerie mused, staring at the horizon as the sun began to slowly sink, "I honestly don't mean to, but…" She shrugged. "It just happens."

Annabeth looked at her. _What? _Seemed to be the only logical thought her mind could manage at the moment.

"Oh… Okay."

Valerie sighed, "Oh, I've done it again, overwhelming people. I don't _mean _to, of course, but the intentions hardly matter in this instance. Part of the reason so few don't believe me when I tell them who my mother is. Most assume Venus, but I don't personally see myself in that respect. Of course, everyone sees you in a different way, including yourself. Oftentimes, the only one who is completely accurate is you, but occasionally it is someone else in your life who knows you even better than yourself."

Annabeth just stared at her, and Valerie glared down at herself. "Sorry, I'm doing it again. No wonder people think I'm an airhead despite my mother."

"Who is your mother?"

"My mother is-

**(A/N. That's right. I'm evil. Actually it's fairly obvious. Fail.)**

_With Jason_

He took a deep breath, eyes never straying from the dirt walls surrounding him. He took three deep breaths; Five; Seven.

He braced himself, and stepped out into the fading sunlight. He shook his head to clear it, and thought, _I've had far too much time to think. I need to get out of here, and do something, talk to someone who isn't adamant I get together with a girl I've only known for six months._

So he started making his way to the infirmary, around the back just in case he ran into Reyna. Maybe Annabeth could offer some advice, or Percy. He might know something about this. So, Jason entered the infirmary just as he caught movement in the corner of his eye in the other doorway, where Percy was staring.

"What was that about?" Jason asked, walking into the room and sitting at the foot of Percy's bed.

Percy broke off his stare and looked at Jason, "Honestly? She being her genius self and I'm not understanding a word of it, as usual." He leaned his head back on a pillow, "I guess this place has changed me."

Jason shrugged, "Camp Half-Blood changed me, too. We're people, we change constantly. Everything we do goes into that. Every experience, every memory; you're bound to be different without your memory."

"That's just the problem. For the longest time, I wanted change, so of course it comes when everything was finally perfect."

Just then, Sophie walked in a took a deep breath, collapsing down on a chair, "Nothing like a forest fire to make your day a bit more interesting."

"A forest fire?" Percy looked at her, "What caused it?"

"No idea, it seemed spontaneous. Like the forest just suddenly decided to catch flame. Weird, right?" Sophie looked at them.

Percy's face hardened, "If only I'd known… I could've done something… I'm so stupid."

"Come on, Starfish head, it's not your fault." Sophie consoled, "Besides, Hazel said there's no way to predict the after effects of your fainting episode this morning. Better you stay in bed."

"'Starfish Head?' That's… creative." Jason remarked.

"Hardly 'creative' to be quite honest, Goldilocks. Starfish only have a memory of approximately five seconds, and they happen to be sea creatures. Not to mention they aren't all that smart," Sophie smirked, "You're just lucky birds are known to have good memory what with their migration patterns and all. Goldilocks will have to do, then."

"_Goldilocks?"_

"Yes. Your hair is blonde, and gold is an excellent conductor of electricity. Perfect."

The boys stared at her, "How do you do that?"

She shrugged, "I don't say anything that has no other meaning. Things meant for you and you alone. Words with meaning behind them easily allow me to communicate with people _sub rosa."_

"What?" Percy said, confused.

Sophie just smiled, "_Nolo contedere."_

"What?" Percy pressed.

"She said-"Jason began, but Sophie cut him off.

"_Nous ne parlons pas anglais, oui?"_

"Uh…. What?" Now, Jason didn't even understand.

"_Je ne sais pas." _Sophie smiled, and laughed, "Just messing with you, it's gibberish."

"It sounded almost French."

"Really?" Sophie looked interested, "What does this sound like? _Benissino." _

"Um… Praise?"

"Cool!" Sophie bounced slightly, "Guess I can express emotion in words without words!"

"Huh?"

"Nevermore. What's up with you guys?"

They exchanged looks, realizing they didn't really want to say. "The sky."

She rolled her eyes, "If you're going to give a brush-off answer, at least do it right; say 'stratosphere', or something cool like that. But it doesn't change the fact that your avoiding the question."

"There's a reason for that."

"And I'm fascinated as to what it could be."

"Well, we won't say."

"Fine, then. See you later." Sophie said casually, and she got up and walked away. Percy blinked, wondering if the slight breeze that came in when she left was pure coincidence.

**In this story, it's not, but a different story... Well, you shall see. And Sophie isn't exactly Gibberish. Anyone (besides PLKMuffin, cause you know half of it and can easily find the rest) who can tell me what it means shall... Get a shout out? A Review? I don't know. We shall see. Anyhow, you guys seem to remain interested in the story, so I hope I can keep that up and update more often. Christmas Carol just started, so... I'll try. **

**If anyone has some more clever nickname ideas, leave it in a review explaining them! (If I decide to use your idea, you'll get full credit, I swear.)**

**Peace, Love, & Life**

**PLKBerry**


	13. Secrets OneRepublic

"What was that?" Percy said, staring after Sophie in bemusement.

"I have no idea, trust me, I couldn't understand girls if one of them smacked me in the face." Jason's head tilted, "One has, now that I think about it."

Percy chuckled, "I would've loved to see that. Sorry, man, but someone angry at someone who isn't me? I never knew that was even possible."

"Funny I thought the same thing, but then Annabeth started telling us stories about you…" Jason bit back a laugh, "Let's just say you hold the record."

Scowling, but laughing internally, Percy changed the subject, "I have a feeling you didn't come here to inquire about my health or my former stupidity with girls."

"I did, actually. Well, not your health, sorry, but…" Jason shifted, feeling as though he shouldn't have spoken so swiftly.

"Seriously?" Percy asked incredulously, "You want to know about my epic failures with Annabeth?" He shook his head, "You should just ask her, man, I was so oblivious to most of it."

"I have a feeling she's conspiring against me in that department."

Percy's jaw dropped, "What does that mean?" He couldn't help it; he started getting a little angry. Why would Annabeth be doing like that to Jason? Could that mean… no, I mean, Percy couldn't remember Annabeth, but he still cared about her and she would care about him, too, right? And his thoughts became disjointed and difficult to navigate with gaping holes his memory would fill.

"No, not like that" Jason said quickly, "Just… So, if there was a girl who used to like you and now you like her but aren't sure if she still likes you, what would you do?"

Percy thought for a moment, "Spend time with her and try to figure it out, I guess. I don't really know."

Jason frowned, "But say that there were other things demanded your attention for a moment, like keeping peace for an army about to go to war?"

Percy shrugged, "Everyone needs an escape or an outlet. Things were so complicated; I actually needed a separate escape from my escape."

"What?"

"Let me explain," Percy smiled, chuckling, "I would normally spend time with Annabeth to escape from everything, but she was so centrally wrapped up in everything I found myself spending more and more time in the mortal world with Rachel whenever I needed some breathing room." He paused, mulling it over, "Don't get me wrong, hanging out with Annabeth still made me happy, I think, but we'd end up strangling each other because of everything… Things we still don't talk about, but for different reasons."

"Like what?"

"Well…" Percy's face scrunched in concentration, "There was this guy, Lance or Luke or Link—No, I think it must have been Luke. Yeah…" he stared at an indefinite point in the room, "He used to take care of Annabeth when he was younger, and he pretended to be on our side. I befriended him." Percy held a wistful look, full of sadness, "When he betrayed us, it was really hard on Annabeth, and I felt like he took advantage of that. She kept telling me he was hoodwinked, and could still be saved, and just got angrier and angrier that she believed that." He chuckled softly, "She was right in the end of course, but at the time I just hated him. It was no secret she'd had a crush on him in the not so distant past, and I guess I was pretty jealous. Whenever he came up, she'd be hurt and I'd be angry, and it would be a complete disaster. Then he allowed Kronos to host his body, and we couldn't even strategize or talk about the war anymore, which kind of sucked cause she's the best strategist I know. In the end, he saw the light and Kronos was defeated, but in order for that, he had to die. It's sad. He was my friend, and she looked up to him." Percy let out a gusty sigh, "But its history now. We've learned from it, it's time to move on. Not to mention we have more things to worry about."

"So the whole point of the war is how you were jealous of this guy Annabeth used to like?" Jason looked confused, "Cause if that's what this war is gonna be like for me I want no part in it."

"Only when you tell the story like that," Percy clarified, "it all depends on the angle."

Just then, a breeze flitted out the window, ruffling their hair and interrupting their conversation, creating a silent decision that they were done talking.

xXx

Aurora collected herself and flew out the window to a preordained spot at the edge of the forest where she met Sophie, where she materialized. "What'd I miss, Flora?"

"I think you'll like this, Sophie," Aurora settled herself on a fallen tree, smoothing her airy white dress.

"Yeah?" Sophie leaned forward excitedly, "What? Oh, I wish I could've been that, but I gather information other ways, I guess."

"Definitely," Aurora agreed, "but listen. So, Jason goes to Percy for advice about girls, and starts describing his situation-"

"Talking about Piper, right?" Sophie cut in, and Aurora nodded, "Okay, predictable. Continue."

"And Percy says he should spend more time with her, and tells him about Luke," Aurora reported dutifully.

"What about Luke? That's very important," Sophie asked, leaning forward eagerly.

Aurora sat in thought for a brief moment before answering, "About the betrayal, of course."

"Of course," Sophie agreed, "Go on."

"And how he hurt Annabeth," Aurora went on, pausing to acknowledge Sophie's raised eyebrow, "Yes?"

"Very interesting. Slightly surprising. Keep going, while it's fresh in your mind, and then we'll discuss it."

"Well, he talked about the difficulty it created with strategizing with her," Aurora continued, watching Sophie anxiously, "and how he let Kronos host his body."

"Fascinating. Anything else?"

"Just that it was over and done. A lessen to remember, but not something to spend too much time obsessing over it." Aurora finished.

Slowly, Sophie smiled. "Have I ever told you how happy I am that you joined the team? This… this is very good." She stood, "Thank you, Flora. Now, why don't we get back? Don't want anyone to worry…" She placed a hand on her jean-clad hip, "That is, if they have the time to with everything that's going on." Aurora stood and joined her as they began the trek deeper into the forest, "I'm so glad this got to be you're first assignment— it's going to be so much fun!"

A/N: For whatever reason, the bold isn't happy with me, but this is the author's note. To get rid of confusion, Flora is just Sophie's nickname for Aurora. I was going to put Aurora and Sophia's adventures in a seperate story, but this is really too much fun. So, let's look at everything that's going on:

1. Percy's memory is somewhat returning, but still in a fragile state.

2. Aphrodite is anxiously watching it all unfold (should I have more of her?).

3. Someone stole ambrosia from the Roman Camp.

4. Leo likes Hazel, who doesn't know much about him but is curious about him.

5. Hazel's twin, Bobby, hates Leo and thinks he is working for Gaea.

6. Jason is being an idiot concerning Piper.

7. Speaking of Piper, she's befriended some wood nymphs in the forest.

8. Piper watched a nymph die of a forest fire.

9. Which Piper doesn't know Leo started when Bobby provoked him surronded by easily burned trees.

10. Valerie and Annabeth are also in the forest, talking about this and that somewhat awkwardly.

11. Reyna wants to slap some sense into Jason, but is distracted by everything that's going on, which is quite I lot now I'm looking at it.

12. Annabeth feels as though while she may have found Percy physically, he's still lost inside.

13. Percy is completely oblivious as to what Annabeth is talking about, as usual.

14. Valerie's a bit odd, and is unhappy with how people treat her.

15. Sophie's been portraying secret messages to Percy and Jason. (And others?)

16. Aurora's been spying on Percy and Jason. (Any others?)

17. Sophie and Aurora are planning something...

So, that's quite a bit, but no worries. I'm going to have it all sorted out, one-by-one. A lot of it is actually related, so I can wipe out like, five, in one chapter if I need to. Tell me if it gets to be a bit too much, or overwhelming, or however you want to phrase it.

Peace, Love, & Life

PLKBerry


	14. Standing In Front of You Kelly Clarkson

**Hi! Okay, so I haven't updated in forever, BUT I'm in A Christmas Carol and this week is go tech week. So, with four hour rehearsals every night on top of everything, I think I have a pretty good excuse, kay? I mean, we're opening Thursday! Anyhow, this chapter has some more indirect Leo/Bobby troubles, which I haven't had in a while.**

"_Who is your mother?"_

"_My mother is—"_

"My mother is Minerva. She's the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy," Valerie pouted slightly, "I sometimes wish she wasn't."

Annabeth straightened immediately, "Why? I think she's great."

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it that way," Valerie shook her head quickly, "It's just that it creates all these expectations for me. The thing is, it's like I'm on a different wavelength than everyone else. My mind works differently."

Annabeth's head tilted slightly, "Could you elaborate on that? Give an example or something?"

"Well, what are good at? Academically?"

"If there was one thing…" Annabeth paused a moment, "I'd have to go with math."

"What a perfect example. I rather excel at formulas and equations, such as 60=3(4x+8), in which the answer would, of course, be that x=3. On the other hand, I am confounded by simple problems such as 8x7, where the answer would be…" Valerie tilted her head slightly in thought.

"56," Annabeth supplied.

"Right," Valerie nodded, "So, that makes sense, does it not?"

Annabeth made a confused face, "Was that an inverted sentence?"

Valerie just shrugged, "Maybe, I'm not sure. I sometimes do that, I've been told, but I am rarely aware of it."

Annabeth nodded slowly, "Right…" The only thought that Annabeth's mind could process right now was, _Wow, this girl is weird. _

* * *

><p><em>"What's going on?"<em>

_"I . . . got mad." He finally stood still, but refused to meet her gaze._

_"Okay? What does that mean?"_

_"Well, sometimes, things . . . happen when I get mad," Leo said meaningfully._

_"Like?" Reyna prompted, and he finally met her eyes._

_". . .Do you think anyone would notice a small little forest fire?"_

"What do you mean 'a small little forest fire'?" Reyna stepped forward, dark brown eyes narrowing.

"Well…" Leo said, shrinking under her stern gaze and still trying to play it off, "See, I'm a son of Hephaestus, right? So, I don't know about Vulcan, but, uh, sometimes kids of Hephaestus are born with this… ability? Yeah. And I haven't…completely….figured out how to control it yet…" Leo chuckled nervously, "But it's all good, Hazel, Sophie, Aurora, and some dryads put it out."

Reyna's eyes grew wide, "Oh my gods, the dryads!"

"No, no, no, it's okay, I swear! Anyway, I need to talk to Jason, Piper, and Annabeth. See, it's about _why_ the fire started." Seeing the look on Reyna's face, he quickly started making excuses for himself, "I'm no arsonist, it's not like that, I just…"

His face was growing a little red noticed Reyna, in fact, it looked almost like… "Leo!" Reyna gasped, "You're hair's on fire!"

"Yeah," Leo sighed, "That's happens sometimes. Like when I get mad, or excited, or if I just feel like making a fire."

"So you enjoy making flames shoot out of your head?"

"No! It was just an example. I can use my hands, arms, legs, whatever." Leo tried to redeem himself, "I once set my whole body on fire."

"Why?" Reyna was looking at him really oddly now.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Leo grumbled, "Like I said, it just happens sometimes. It's like Piper's voice. I can't help it, and I'm still learning to control it. Sometimes I can keep it from happening and sometimes I can't."

Reyna nodded slowly, "I see. Well, we'll just…." She sighed tiredly, "I don't know. You Greeks love to cause trouble, don't you?"

Leo shrugged, "Most of us don't mean to."

"Yeah, I—" Reyna stopped, "Wait, what about Piper's voice?"

"You don't know?" Leo looked surprised, "I figured you would get a complete rundown on her from Jason."

Reyna laughed lightly, "Yeah, I got enough to know that Jason's an idiot, but what else is new?"

Leo shrugged, "Guess I'd better let her explain, then. Anyway, I gotta go. Like I said, little problem." Leo began to walk away, but Reyna stopped him.

"I am here for a reason you know." She raised an eyebrow, "I'm supposed to help solve problems between Greeks and Romans."

Leo shifted uneasily, "If you're sure you want to get involved…"

"Yes. It is my duty."

Long story short, Leo spilled.

* * *

><p>Hazel leaned heavily against a tree, which a dryad popped out of, supporting her.<p>

"Sorry," Hazel said on impulse, straightening.

"No," the nymph shook her head, "You're tired, and should rest. I have to thank you for saving me some way or another."

Hazel reluctantly shifted her weight back onto the tree, "I'm sorry," Hazel tried to apologize again, "There's just been so much going on, and I have no idea how the fire started."

"I do," Bobby melted from the shadows from the trees (not literally of course, Hazel thought, that's ridiculous) and came closer to her.

"What do you mean?" Hazel inquired closing her eyes and leaning her head back distractedly.

"It was that Greek, Leo!"

A pair of light brown eyes snapped open and Hazel immediately straightened, "What?"

"I saw him!" Bobby crept forward, eyes boring into hers, "I saw him start the fire in the South most clearing—I was there!"

"Bobby, we-we're supposed to be open-minded, here, and-and if you were there why didn't you stop him?" Hazel sputtered, flabbergasted, "I mean, it-it can't be true! They're on our side now, and we're all working for a common goal!" Hazel's voice steadied in Leo's defense and she took a step forward, "To stop Gaea from rising!"

Bobby shook his head, closely cropped dark caramel colored hair glinting in the sunlight, "No. He has powers he's keeping hidden. Whether he's working alone or the other Greeks are in on it," Bobby got right in his twin sister's face, "he has no intention of stopping Gaea," he hissed, "he's helping her."

Hazel pushed her brother back, "I know you don't like him, but that's no reason to go about making rash accusations! There's no way this can work if we don't all try to get along!"

"Oh, yeah?" Bobby questioned, looking behind her, "Rash accusations, huh? Look at that!" He spun her around and Hazel saw Leo with his back to her, head in flames, talking to Reyna conversationally.

"Well-" Hazel struggled slightly for breath as her gaze locked on dancing red, orange, and gold atop the boy, "If Reyna knows it must be okay, you can't say _Reyna's_ working against us."

Defeated, Bobby angrily stormed away, but as Hazel continued to shamelessly stare at the boy that had previously intrigued her, she couldn't get herself to believe her own words as Bobby's filled her brain.

_I saw him start the fire…_

_He has powers he's keeping hidden._

_He has no intention of stopping Gaea, _Bobby had said, _he's helping her._

**So, now Hazel learned all about Leo's _ability, _but perhaps not in the best way, hm?**

**PLKMuffin: If you're reading this- Have fun in India, and pass on my best wishes to your sister! Miss you! Bon Voyage!**

**Q: Should I bring Aphrodite back in?**

**A: Tell me in a review!**

**I know you have thoughts concerning my story, so don't be shy and share them in a review!**


	15. I'm Yours Jason Mraz

**I am going to try to update as much as I possibly can tonight because... *drum role* TOMORROW IS MY BIRTHDAY! Yep. So, I shall make this a birthday present to me, and to you (assuming you like this well enough to consider it a present). I got the inspiration when I opened my locker today to have balloons tumble out. Thanks, PLKPie! And PLKMuffin: Thank you, and I hope you are loving India so FREAKING MUCH cause you are awesome. I long for the days when PLK will be reunited... But the rest of you hardly care, so on with the story!**

After a few moments of silence, Jason stood with a heavy sigh, "I should probably go, leave you to your healing."

"No, I'm so bored just sitting here." Percy groaned slightly, "I'm ADHD, man. This is driving me insane."

Jason hesitated. "Fine." He held out a hand, "But don't let Hazel know I had any part in this," he offered a sly smile.

Percy got up and the two walked out into the sunlight, "I'm impressed. I didn't think a Roman would ever go against a demigod's orders out of pure boredom," Percy joked easily, but Jason frowned, blinking in the sudden light shift.

"It sounds so much worse when you say it like that."

"Sorry," Percy shrugged, "guess it's just me. I remember one time, Thalia got _so _mad at me for going against the plan in capture the flag. I was supposed to be guarding, but I saw an opportunity for offense and I took it. Didn't end up working, but it always did with Annabeth's plans. I guess Annabeth always foresaw I'd never follow perfectly, so she allowed a little movement on my part." He shook his head at the ground as they walked, "I don't know how she does it."

Loosening up, Jason laughed, "I guess Thalia would get mad at you, she always hated it when I wandered off and—" Suddenly, he stopped and looked at Percy. "Whoa. I thought you didn't have your memory other than bits and pieces."

Percy looked startled. "I never even realized I knew that… I guess…. But I never knew anything before…" Percy thought hard as he and Jason halted at the edge of the woods they hadn't realized they were going to.

"When did you start to remember?" Jason asked, knowing that when his memory returned, it couldn't be ignored.

"Well, it's been coming very slowly for several months now," mused Percy, leaning absent mindedly against a tree, "but nothing substantial. Just vague or brief images, words, or flashes of light or color. Names and faces wouldn't connect. Sometimes I'd have a single disjointed memory, but it was pretty useless without everything else. Things haven't really become any kind of clear until…" he screwed up his face in concentration, "Today, I guess. That's weird. It must've been when I passed out…"

Jason titled his head, leaning against a tree opposite him, "I nearly passed out when I got my memories, but I was in combat so I didn't end up going under."

Percy nodded, "You do crazy things when you're in battle. Or about to die. Or both. Either way."

"Tell me about it." They stared into the still darkness of the forest, talking and learning that collaboration may not be so difficult after all.

_On the Edge of the forest with Hazel_

Imagine Hazel's surprise and annoyance when she heard Percy and Jason talking _outside _the infirmary. She leaned against the tree, telling herself she was just being ridiculous and that they'd probably just stepped outside, and their voices carried. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that they were _right behind her. _

More unsettling was the thought that Leo was conspiring against them. As she'd just met, she shouldn't care. She should just treat him as an enemy. And yet, she couldn't help wanting to trust him. Which was completely crazy, but… she bit her lip. No, she shouldn't think that way. That wasn't how a soldier thought. But as she watched flames dance absentmindedly across curly brown hair, she wondered if heroes ever thought that way.

_With Piper, Ivy, and Holly_

Piper slowly stood. "I'll just… I'll just go. You probably want a moment."

Ivy looked up from the cold lifeless face of Ash, "You may stay, if you so choose. Serene company is most desirable to me at this present time."

Holly, however, didn't seem to notice the silent jab, staring in horror at the dead nymph, eyes wide and mouth gaping. Every now and then, she would stutter soundlessly, as thought trying (but unable) to find words.

Piper remained standing, but made no move to leave.

Ivy gently stroked the fallen girl's face, limp hand clasped in a delicate grip. After a while, she looked at Piper who was hovering awkwardly unsure or what to do or if whether she wanted to stay or go. A sense of understanding alighted Ivy's face, "Perhaps it is better if you do go."

Piper took a step, whispering, "I'm so sorry," before departing. She fled into the shadows, and Ivy looked after her. While Ivy would have like her to stay, Piper clearly needed to separate herself from the situation, and only remained for Ivy. But Ivy needed to be strong enough to let go.

A single singed hand fell onto Earth, and the body transformed into a single yellow cymbidium orchid planted firmly into the ground.

And, like Piper, Ivy had a message in whisper. "A new beginning."

_With Reyna and Leo_

After Leo had explained everything, Reyna raised her eyebrow. "Aside from the unpredictability, I think this could be used at our advantage."

Leo scoffed, "And after all the time I wasted with worrying. I thought you guys hated unpredictable."

"As a general rule, yes," Reyna responded slowly, "but there are exceptions to every rule."

Just then, she caught a flash of blond out of the corner of her eye. "Hey, there's Jason. Jason!" she called striding toward him, "There's a situation. Leo caused a little suspicion."

"Gee, thanks," Leo came up behind her, "Way to make my first impression with the famous Percy Jackson a lousy one!"

"If you knew half the first impressions I give," Percy told Leo, "this would be the least of your worries. I mess up so much it's not even funny anymore. Unless you're Annabeth; she'll never stop be amused at my stupidity. You know, after we've escaped from the danger it inevitably created."

"What do you mean?" Jason turned to Leo, somewhat ignoring Percy and switching to leader mode, "What happened?"

"Bobby started talking about how I was against them and he got in my face. I got a little angry."

Jason groaned, "Leo…"

"Hey!" Leo held out his arms like _what do you want from me? _"Unlike you, I haven't been training since I was two. It's not like a can control it!"

"So, what do you suggest?" Reyna looked at Jason, but it was Percy who spoke.

"One thing I've learned from messing up is that the first thing to do is damage control."

**So, what damage control does Percy have in mind?**

***crickets***

**That's not a question to make to excited for the next chapter, I honestly don't know. TELL ME!**

**(And enjoy your virtual chocolate covered strawberries.)**

**Peace, Love, & Life**

**PLKBerry**


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